Tuesday, July 22, 2008

#30: Voluntary Injection

During the course of the year our harbor seals and fur seals receive several vaccines. Training the seals to accept these injections voluntarily takes time and lots of patience. Watch the video of Amelia receiving her West Nile Virus vaccine and you'll see that the result of all that time and patience is an animal that deals with needles better than most people that I know, myself included.

-Paul

Labels: Amelia, Harbor Seals, injection, Paul, vaccine

Thursday, July 17, 2008

#29: Seal Origins

Where do our seals come from?

A lot of people ask us, "how did you get your seals?" This is a great question and allows us to tell the stories and backgrounds of our animals here. Five of the seven harbor seals were born here at the aquarium; Amelia and Trumpet were born in 1985, Reggae and Cayenne in 1993, and Chacoda in 1995. Smoke and Lana came in as stranded pups from the coast of Maine in 1971 and 1982 respectively.

Most seals are nursed back to health and released. Sometimes stranded seals have medical issues, such as chronic ear infections, that would reduce their chance of survival after release. Others become too accustomed to people and can get in trouble by approaching people or their pets.

Three of the fur seals, Cordova, Ursula and Baranov were born at other aquariums. Chainsaw was found stranded as a pup off the coast of Washington.

Follow the links on each seal's name to see all the blog entries about each animal.

-Lindsay

Labels: fur seals, Lindsay, protected, wild

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

#28: Seal Safety

Swimming With Seals

There is no doubt that marine mammals are adorable. They look so sweet and gentle; you just want to run up and give them a little squeeze. After all, what's the harm in walking up to a seal on the beach, or tossing a fish to a sea lion in the ocean? How about letting the dog play with one of them-they are playful, curious creatures, right? A lot of people are surprised to hear that it is dangerous for us and our pets to approach a wild seal. These animals have very sharp, bacteria covered teeth. Seals will bite if they are frightened, surrounded, cornered or sick. Seals can carry many different diseases such as rabies, that can be transferred to other mammals. More people are shocked when they hear that it is illegal in the US to come within 150 feet of a wild marine mammal, as stated in the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Harassing, feeding, touching, even swimming with wild seals puts THEM in danger. Observing these amazing creatures is an awesome experience, just be sure to do it from a distance.

If you see a seal that is injured or in distress, keep people and dogs away, then call your local aquarium. For more information about seal rescue, check out the Aquarium's Marine Animal Rescue Program.

-Lindsay

Labels: Lindsay, protected, seals, wild

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

#27: Turtle Training

Targeting With Myrtle the Turtle

Some may find it strange to see video of a turtle in the marine mammal blog, but the marine mammal staff has the opportunity to train a sea turtle as well. The principals of operant conditioning and positive reinforcement can work with any animal, as long as you learn what it is that they find rewarding. Myrtle, a green sea turtle, finds fish and Brussels sprouts absolutely fabulous! Myrtle is approximately 75 years old and has been at the aquarium almost as long as we've been open. We began by teaching Myrtle to "target" or touch a white PVC pipe, by putting it in front of her and rewarding her for touching it. From there, she learned to discriminate between a white pipe, a black pipe and a black and white striped pipe. She has been stellar at this, always choosing her white pipe when presented with a choice. Now we have moved on to sending her to search for her target around the tank. Her signal to start searching is a sound made by popping a smaller pole in the water and pulling it out. You can see me giving her the signal in this video:

Myrtle should hear the sound and then swim to her pole where another trainer will toss her a few pieces of fish or a prized Brussels sprout. Myrtle has proved very capable of this behavior and in this video you'll be able to see the finished behavior. Enjoy!

-Rochelle

Labels: Green Sea Turtle, Myrtle, Rochelle, targeting

Thursday, July 3, 2008

#26: Careers in Seals

Get a Job With Seals!

Is anybody here a marine biologist?! The answer at the New England Aquarium is yes...and no. Like George Costanza, many trainers are not marine biologists. The opposite is usually true too...most marine biologists are not marine mammal trainers. Simply put, marine biologists study ocean organisms. While it may be helpful to have a background in marine biology, it is not required to be a marine mammal trainer.

Jenny with Ursula

We're often asked how we got our jobs training marine mammals. While there is no clear path to the profession, there are many key things you can do to put yourself on the road to trainerdom. Most aquariums, including ours, require that you have a bachelor's degree, preferably in a science. Many trainers do have backgrounds in marine biology, but others have degrees in biology, animal behavior, ecology, zoology, or psychology. Psychology is especially helpful to understand how we train our animals using operant conditioning and positive reinforcement. A degree will only get you so far. Most of our learning occurs on the job. SCUBA certification is also required as we dive in our exhibits often for routine cleaning and maintenance.

One of the best ways to get a lot of experience is by volunteering or interning. Although there is no hands-on work with the animals, our volunteers and interns get a good taste of what it's like to be a trainer. They help prepare diets, make toys, conduct enrichment (play) sessions, and there's cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. If dish-pan hands that smell like fish are not your cup of tea, then you might get a rude awakening. It's not all glamorous, but for us working with the animals far outweighs the dirty work.

2 of our volunteers, Jamie and Cindy

-Justin

Labels: career, interning, Justin, marine biologist, marine mammal trainer, volunteering

#25: Trip to the Dentist

Say Ahhh

Everyone knows that going to the dentist on a regular basis is important for taking care of your teeth. But did you know that this is also true for animals? All of our seals have a dentist that they see on a regular basis, but they don't have to go to the dentist's office - the dentist comes to them!! Recently, Dr. Laura Levan came to the Aquarium to see how all of our seals were doing. In this video, she is taking a good look at Lana's teeth, with the help of Lana's trainer, Justin. Look Justin - no cavities!

-Erin

Labels: Dentist, Erin, Harbor Seals, Husbandry behavior

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

#24: Baranov and Cordova

A Big Weight Difference

As we welcomed our newest addition, Baranov, to the northern fur seal exhibit, the size difference between male and female fur seals became VERY obvious. Male fur seals can reach a top weight of 600 pounds while females only weigh a maximum of 120. Check out the video to see the size difference for yourself. Baranov and Cordova have the same father so they are half siblings and the two seals are almost the same age. They certainly don't look like it!

Male fur seals have a thick layer of blubber underneath their skin. During the breeding season the males establish a territory on land so that they can attract females for breeding. Like the females, male fur seals rely on their thick coat of fur to stay warm. Unlike female fur seals, the males have thick blubber as a means of protection when other males challenge them for land space. The blubber also serves as a food source for the males when they are protecting their territory and are unable to go to the ocean to find food.

~Patty

Labels: Baranov, Cordova, Northern Fur Seal, Patty

#23: Baranov

Big Man on Campus

Baranov, an 11 year old, 500-pound male northern fur seal, arrived at New England Aquarium on June 23, 2008. He's up from the Mystic Aquarium & Institute For Exploration (MAIFE) in Connecticut to spend the summer with us in Boston. How do you move a 500 pound fur seal? Insert your favorite cliche here ... very carefully ... any way he wants ... yada, yada, yada.

At 3:30 a.m., Baranov casually followed his trainer Sarah into his transport carrier. The carrier is a 5' x 7' x 5' aluminum structure with rails spaced close enough to safely contain him, but far enough apart that he can observe his surroundings. Bags of ice were placed on top of the carrier to keep him comfortable and he was carefully lifted via forklift into a large truck. Once inside, the carrier was belted in to give Baranov a nice, steady ride. Accompanying Baranov were two of his familiar trainers and his veterinarian. Seals can stay out of water for days if they remain cool. The truck had a powerful air conditioning unit to ensure the comfort of everyone. Well, perhaps Baranov was more comfortable. The humans emerged shivering, but smiling after the two hour ride.

The carrier was lifted from the truck and positioned next to an open door of the exhibit. Sarah led Baranov from the carrier into his summer home. He was a little tentative at first, but once he realized water was close by, out he went.

Baranov following Sarah's target
then checking out his new home.

The females, Chainsaw, Cordova and Ursula backed away a bit as the 500 pound blob (always a term of endearment when referring to seals) entered the water.

It took a short time for the girls to get nose to nose with Baranov. Sniffing and touching noses is the customary greeting among many species of seals. Since all four seals know each other from their time at MAIFE, the introduction was quick and easy.

Baranov was comfortable enough to eat within 15 minutes of entering the exhibit. Sarah stayed with us for four days to help with a smooth adjustment to his interim trainers. Baranov has indeed settled in as you can see below. It didn't take long for him to take his spot as king of the hill.

Hope to see you soon!

- Jenny

Labels: Baranov, carrier, greeting, introduction, Jenny, transport

Friday, June 27, 2008

#22: Fish Prep

Preparing Fish for Seals

A few weeks ago, you got a taste (so to speak) of the diets that we feed our seals at the Aquarium. But how do we prepare it all and how do we figure out how much food each animal needs? Here's how, young grasshoppers.

Each morning we arrive early, prepared to get down and dirty in sinks full of frozen fish and squid. All of the fish needs to be thawed in cold water. In the summertime it feels good being up to your elbows in frigid fishy water, in the winter you're lucky if you can feel your hands. After everything is thawed, each individual fish and squid gets inspected to insure the highest quality. If there are any cuts, scrapes, exploded eyeballs or other damages, it is considered no good and is not fed to the seals. Only the best for our animals!

Once the fish is thawed we weigh buckets of fish for the seals' training sessions. We have our seafood analyzed and know how many calories are in each pound of the 3 different options (herring, capelin and squid). Our seals typically eat between 2,000 and 6,000 calories per day depending on the animal and the season.

Seals can have food preferences just like people. For example, our oldest seal Smoke enjoys squid, while her son Reggae is not a fan. There are many factors that we take into account when calculating how much food an animal needs. We look at their weight, how much they ate in past years, and how eager they are to participate in training sessions.

It can be difficult to figure out the perfect amounts. There are no points to count, or Valerie Bertinelli to deliver pre-made meals. We don't want them to be too hungry, or on the flip side, too full that they would rather use their food as a toy than eat it.

By the end of our morning fish prep, we are well on our way to smelling like a fish and the animals are getting excited about their first training sessions. Bon appetit!

-Justin

Labels: capelin, diets, fish prep, food, fur seals, Harbor Seals, herring, Justin, squid

Thursday, June 26, 2008

#21: True Seals

What's the difference between a seal and a sea lion?

This is one of the commonly asked questions here at the New England Aquarium and I am here to answer it for all of you who, I know, are just dying to know. And the answer is ... DRUMROLL PLEASE .................. NOTHING!

But my blog cannot and will not end with such a vague answer!

Sea lions are a type of seal that have external ear flaps, can rotate their hind flippers under their bodies and "walk" on land. They use long front flippers for swimming and standing, and have LOTS of blubber (or fat). Fur seals look a lot like sea lions and have almost the same physical characteristics, except they don't have all that blubber to help keep them warm. They have, you guessed it, fur! Both sea lions and fur seals are in the same family and referred to as "eared seals."

You can see the ear flaps and upright posture of Guthrie, a male sea lion:

and Cordova, a female Northern fur seal:

True seals, sometimes referred to as "earless seals," are in another family. This includes all other seals except sea lions, fur seals, and walrus. True seals don't have external ear flaps, they use their hind flippers for swimming, they have a lot of blubber, and short front flippers so they slug around on land. Chacoda, one of our male Atlantic Harbor Seals, is an example of a true seal:

When put side by side, you can really see the similarities and differences. Here at the New England Aquarium, we currently have Atlantic harbor seals and Northern fur seals.

-Lindsay

Labels: comparison, Harbor Seals, Lindsay, Northern Fur Seal, Sea Lions