Wednesday, November 18, 2009

#148: A formal introduction to Isaac the Northern fur seal

It is high time we officially introduce you to our youngest male Northern fur seal, Isaac. Isaac is 9 years old and currently weighs in at just over 200 pounds, though we expect him to nearly double in size in the next few years.

Isaac was born at the Seattle Aquarium and is named after Chris Isaak, who happened to be playing nearby at the time. When he moved out here, he traveled with a trainer by FedEx (we still have the packing slip!).

During the last few months, we have been working with Isaac to fine-tune some of his behaviors, including his head shake (so you can see his handsome hair), vocal (it sounds like a purr), and open mouth. He is doing great!

-Erin

Labels: Erin, isaac, Northern Fur Seal

Monday, November 16, 2009

#147: Yoga with the fur seals on the news

Did you know that to stay healthy, a lot of people are doing some of the same behaviors that our fur seals do? That's right. Stop in to any local yoga studio and you will see people doing poses that look a lot like what Cordova and Ursula do on a daily basis.

Trainer Lindsay and Ursula the Northern fur seal show kids how to stretch.

The marine mammal staff has paired with Abbie Davies, founder and owner of My First Yoga, to show that everyone does the same things to stay healthy. Just check out this story that recently aired on NECN to learn a little more, then come on in and join us during one of our Fitness Friday presentations.

-Erin

Labels: Erin, Northern Fur Seal, yoga

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

#136: Chuck the flying harbor seal

Porpoising is one of the many impressive behaviors that harbor seals do naturally. By leaping out of the water, they are able to take a quick breath of air and a look around when either playing or trying to get out of harm's way.

Many of our seals have been trained to do this behavior on signal - it's a great way for us to show off a cool natural behavior while keeping the seals active. Check out this video of Chuck:

-Erin

Labels: behavior, Chacoda, Erin, Harbor Seals, marine mammals in motion, porpoising

Friday, June 19, 2009

#131: The Wait Is Almost Over...

Ten months ago, we announced that our female fur seals would be moving to the New York Aquarium while we started building the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center. The wait is almost over, so while Rochelle is in New York learning all about JD, she is also getting a chance to see Ursula and Cordova.

I went down this past weekend and snapped this picture of the two fur girls during a training session (Ursula is on the left and Cordova is on the right with Rochelle). They are both doing great and we are even more excited for the opening of the exhibit on July 1st. And for those of you that had visited these girls, have no fear, Cordova is still as vocal as ever!

-Erin

Labels: Cordova, Erin, Marine Mammal Exhibit, New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center, New York Aquarium, Rochelle, Ursula

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

#129: Harbor Seal Puzzle

Amelia has always shown a lot of interest in a particular orange boomer ball toy that we stuff with fish. Now we have decided to take it one step further by making a puzzle for her. So she can learn how it works we started with an easy one.

We modified two clear, small animal exercise balls by drilling holes in them, then placed some capelin pieces in the big ball and gave it to the seals. Since it looked a little different from the original toy, it took Amelia a little bit to figure out what it was, but once she did she was really into it. And she wasn't the only one; Trumpet, Chuck, Cayenne, and Smoke all took turns. Now the next step is to start placing the fish inside the little ball and put that inside the big ball- then they will really have to move the toy to get the fish out.

-Erin

Labels: capelin, Cayenne, Chacoda, enrichment, Erin, Smoke, Trumpet

Thursday, June 11, 2009

#126: I'm Ready For My Close-Up!

With a face like this to greet you, how could you not enjoy going to work! I was playing around with the camera and Cayenne came over to check me out. I wonder what she was thinking then?

-Erin

Labels: Cayenne, Erin

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

#125: Waiting for Baranov ...

Erin checking out Baranov's chompers

The wait is almost over. We're all looking forward to the return of our fur seals and the opening of the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center. The other day Erin and I took a trip down to the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration to reconnect with our old buddy Baranov, a male fur seal that stayed with us for a few months last year. He will be moving back to Beantown later this summer to live in our new exhibit. Seeing him again made me even more excited ... I can't wait 'til July!

-Justin

Labels: Baranov, Erin, Justin, Marine Mammal Exhibit, Mystic Aquarium, New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center, Northern Fur Seal

Monday, June 8, 2009

#123: How did we get this job?

This is a question we get asked A LOT! Sure, there are things we can recommend you do that may help you, but there isn't one path that guarantees you will be hired as a marine mammal trainer. Before you get discouraged though, realize that this means you can create your own path. Below are brief stories of what each one of us did before we were hired here at the New England Aquarium.

Kathy, Curator

Over the course of my career, I have had the opportunity to work with a variety of animals in a number of different settings. Some of my memorable experiences before becoming Curator here in 1987 include working with orcas and Pacific white-sided dolphins at the whale stadium as well as the dolphins in the lagoon at the Flipper Set in Miami Seaquarium's popular dolphin and whale shows; seeing a number of dolphin births, training a blind dolphin over 60 behaviors when nobody thought it could be done; answering a number of questions regarding animal cognition by teaching sea lions to participate in behavioral research studies in California; being an animal trainer for a movie filmed in the Amazon and Bahamas, assisting with rescue and rehabilitation efforts for cetaceans and pinnipeds in Florida and California; and working with sea lions and beluga whales who were being trained in open water off San Diego and Seattle.

While I have a number of pictures from these experiences, this is one of my favorites (above). Both Bear and Salty were trained to work in films, and because of this, it was important that they be comfortable working with a variety of people and animals. Bear was brought to the Miami Seaquarium so that he could get some sea lion experience and this picture was taken.

Jenny, Assistant Curator

As a five-year-old in front of the TV, I was awestruck watching a killer whale breach during a Jacques Cousteau special. From that moment, I knew I wanted to be around whales. While in high school, I got my foot in the door as a landscaper at Marine World in California. I ultimately landed a job in the training department, where my morning routine entailed plunging my hands into icy water to thaw 800 pounds of fish for the whales, dolphins, sea lions and seals. One year a sea lion pup had to be hand raised because his mom was no longer producing milk. I was part of a team that took Buckwheat home to feed him a formula of mashed herring, vitamins and heavy cream every few hours throughout the night. A big part of raising Buckwheat involved lots of playtime. We taught him to wear a harness so that we could run around the park. This picture was taken while resting after a long walk and a swim. It was as fun as it looks. Kathy was conducting behavioral research with one of the sea lions at the park and we got to know each other. A year and a half after she became Curator of Marine Mammals here at the Aquarium, I followed and took the position of supervisor in 1988.

Cheryl, Senior Trainer

This picture was taken in the winner's circle at Foxboro Raceway with Birdwatcher, a horse that I broke and trained (that's me just in front of the horse). I trained Standardbred horses for 10 years. I sold a horse for quite a bit of money which enabled me to leave the horse business and spend some time figuring out what I wanted to do. I volunteered for the Mammals Department for a year in 1984 and was hired in April of 1985.

Paul, Senior Trainer

My first three years as a marine mammal trainer were spent at the Miami Seaquarium. “Back in those days” a college degree wasn’t the requirement that it is now. I got the job based on the fact that I was a good swimmer, a certified diver and had a good basic knowledge about marine mammals and was comfortable in front of the public. In addition to Tokitae (stage name: Lolita--shown in this picture) I worked with a Pacific white sided dolphin named Makani, many bottlenose dolphins, sea lions and stranded manatees and cetaceans. During my time there I met Kathy, our curator here at the Aquarium. When they had an opening for a trainer here in 1989 she offered me the job and the rest, as they say, is history.

Erin, Senior Trainer

Since I knew that being a marine mammal trainer was what I wanted to do, I attended an agricultural high school (Norfolk Aggie) where, in addition to my regular studies, I could take a variety of classes that focused directly on animal care. One of the classes I took was a Canine Showmanship course that required participation in the FunMatch at the end of the semester. This Golden Retriever made it very easy for me, but I can honestly say that wasn't the case for my follow-up course: Canine Obedience. The dog I worked with that semester and I were both very inexperienced. Even though we were using the same techniques I currently use when working with the seals, I didn't understand them then. After I graduated from there, I received my B.S. in Biology from UMASS Dartmouth. After that I started as a Marine Mammal Intern in 2003 and I've been here ever since. I'm happy to say that now I have a much clearer understanding of those training techniques!

Belinda, Senior Trainer

I have always enjoyed kayaking and knew that I wanted a career working with marine life, I just wasn't sure what it would be. After I graduated college, I started volunteering with the Marine Mammal Dept at the Aquarium to see if training was the best choice for me. The longer I stayed with the dept, the more I learned about the field, and I ultimately applied for a position and was hired in 2004.

Rochelle, Senior Trainer

This picture was taken at the top of a 100-ft. wall at Devils Lake in Wisconsin. It was before my sophomore year of college and my first time camping and rock climbing, which was a wonderful experience. After that weekend I knew that I would never be able to work a normal 9 - 5 job in an office setting. I was on track to get my biology degree, started focusing on animal behavior, and even found out that my school offered a class for scuba diving. Having grown up in the Midwest I had never seen an ocean before, not even on vacation. I took a chance after graduation, moved to Boston, and luckily started as an intern at the aquarium. I became a full time trainer in 2004 and have been here ever since.

Patty, Senior Trainer

My fascination with the ocean began in grade school. My family and I would visit my Aunt Mag in Nantucket for a week during the summer (that's me in the pink with my mom). It was in this amazing place that I had the opportunity to spend hours on end investigating the ocean, the bay and all its inhabitants. My love for the world of water grew from there and in college I continued to explore the ocean with the help of my research professor. We did weekly field research on jellyfish off the coast of Rhode Island. After graduating, I moved to Boston in 2004 and as they say... the rest is history!

Lindsay, Trainer

This picture was taken at the Spring River in Arkansas; not only the best place for spring break and lots of canoeing, but also the place where the Water-Rock-Life lab at Arkansas State University collected fish for research. I had the opportunity to work in the lab dissecting fish, pulling otoliths (ear bones) and scales to age fish, and collecting different species of fish along the river. Being part of a research team was a really cool experience and made my fascination with aquatic animals grow even deeper. I've loved the water all my life and knew I would work with animals someday. I moved to Boston on a whim for a change in life and to hopefully find my career path. I fell in love with a few pinnipeds and since 2007, I've had the best of both worlds!

Justin, Trainer

Unlike many people in the marine mammal field, this was not always my dream job. I started out in a career in environmental education and interpretation. My first job was working in South Africa’s Kruger National Park where I coordinated educational programs teaching people (mostly local school children) about the flora and fauna of the South African bush. By working closely with local communities our goal was to increase their support for the Park and nature conservation in general.

In addition to program design and teaching, I also helped out with game capture; catching and translocating animals such as white rhino, buffalo, zebra and wildebeest. Animals were herded and darted using the helicopter in the picture (I’m the 3rd from the right). After my time abroad I moved back to frigid New England and a job in the Education Department at the Aquarium. After a few years as an educator, a trainer position opened up in 2007 and I was lucky enough to step into the marine mammal world.

So there you have it!
Hopefully, these different stories will encourage you to follow your own path. Who knows where it will lead!

-Erin

Labels: Belinda, career, Cheryl, Erin, Jenny, Justin, Kathy, Lindsay, marine mammal trainer, Patty, Paul, Rochelle

Friday, June 5, 2009

#122: Happy Birthday to Trumpet, Cayenne, and Chuck!

Trumpet and her two kids, Cayenne and Chuck, have birthdays within one day of each other so we decided to have a group celebration this weekend. Cayenne turns 16 tomorrow, Trumpet turns 24 on Sunday, and Chuck is 14 years old Monday! We celebrated with a birthday cake, but instead of having one made out of ice cream, their cake was made out of capelin and squid. Yum! Of course, we had to take some birthday pictures.

Happy Birthday!

-Erin

Labels: birthday, capelin, Cayenne, Chacoda, Erin, fish cake, Harbor Seals, squid, Trumpet

Thursday, June 4, 2009

#121: Jellies in the Harbor Seal Exhibit

We are always trying to come up with new enrichment ideas for the seals, and in fact, this was one of my goals for the year. Yesterday we introduced 10 moonjellies to the harbor seal exhibit, with the hopes that the seals would enjoy something that actively moved throughout the water column.

Most of the seals were resting, so they didn't pay any attention to the jellies at all, but they did attract Chuck's attention.

Check it out!

-Erin

Labels: Chacoda, enrichment, Erin, Harbor Seals, jellies, Video

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

#120: Seal of the Week--Chacoda

While our fur seals are on vacation, I thought that this would be a great opportunity to give you an in depth introduction to each of our Atlantic harbor seals. Each week we will highlight one of our harbor seals and give you some cool facts and amazing behaviors that make each of our animals unique.

This week the star of the show is Chacoda!

Chacoda was born on June 8, 1995. He is going to be fourteen years old next week! His mom is Trumpet and he has an older sister named Cayenne. Chacoda's name was chosen by his trainers and is a combination of two different words ... Chauncy (a lobster pier in Maine that a lot of trainers enjoyed) and Coda (the end of a musical piece, since Chacoda's Mom is named Trumpet). Despite all of the thought that went into his name, more often than not we just call him Chuck!

Chuck is part of our spotted family of seals. You can see this by taking a look at the picture above. He has dark spots all along his belly. Below, you can see that he also has very large nostrils; these help to distinguish him from his sister Cayenne who has more petite features. Currently Chuck weighs about 155 lbs. but has been known to reach weights in the 180's depending on the time of year.

Although Chuck is our youngest seal, he has learned a vast array of behaviors. One of the most well known behaviors is his ability to vocalize. Chuck can often be heard making deep guttural sounds that echo throughout the exhibit and even down the front plaza of the Aquarium! Like his grandfather Hoover, and his father Rigel, Chuck has learned to say a few different words and phrases. Stay tuned for a future post from Cheryl for more info!

Wearing an underwater camera is another cool behavior that Chuck has under his belt. Paul trained this behavior last year. Now you can get a view of our exhibit from the harbor seals' perspective. Paul is also in the process of training Chuck to do a back flip. This is an awesome behavior to watch because it shows how athletic the seals are. If Chuck gets enough speed and height, he can propel himself completely out of the water, flip backwards in a full 360 degree circle and then land back in the water in his original position.

Erin is also Chuck's trainer and she has done some amazing things with him. All of our seals allow us to brush their teeth using manual toothbrushes. But sometimes it takes a little more to handle seal plaque. So, over the past six months, Erin has not only trained Chuck to allow a rotary toothbrush on his teeth, they have now moved up to a Sonicare toothbrush! For those of you who have one, you know the sound that they make and how much they vibrate. It takes a lot of work to train a seal to accept a toothbrush like that, but now Chuck lets Erin brush his teeth with the Sonicare every day. Only the best for this guy!

These are just a few examples of the amazing behaviors that Chacoda has learned here at the Aquarium. Chacoda can be found living with the rest of our Atlantic harbor seal colony in their exhibit on the front plaza. Come by sometime to see a session. There are four each day and you never know what behaviors Chuck will be showing off!

~Patty

subscribe

Labels: Chacoda, Cheryl, Erin, Paul, seal of the week, toothbrushing, vocalization

Friday, May 29, 2009

#117: Video of a White Lobster Molting

As you know, we have been doing a lot of work with lobsters the last few months. Justin even posted a video of one of his lobsters molting. Just this week, Anita taped another lobster molting, but you'll notice this lobster is a surprising color.

The lobster in this video is one of hundreds being raised at the Aquarium's Lobster Research and Rearing Facility. Anita, manager of the lab, happened to stumble upon this lobster halfway through molting. The first thing you might notice is that the lobster is white. This lobster was not born this way, but rather it has been eating a diet that lacks the pigment astaxanthin. Astaxanthin provides a lobster with its shell color, so if a lobster doesn't eat astaxanthin, they will turn white! For more information on lobster shell color and research, visit the Lobster Lab's web page.

The old shell is a light blue color, and the lobster itself is white. At the start of the video, the lobster is trying to get its claws, abdomen and tail out of the old shell. The lobster definitely looks like it is having a difficult time. Although the molting process only takes a few minutes, a lobster spends much of its life preparing to molt or recovering from molting. After molting, the lobster will bring water into its tissues and increase in size – sometimes it will gain up to 50% of its previous weight. The new shell hardens over the next couple days and the lobster will eat its old shell for nutrition.

Thanks Anita for the great video!

-Erin

Labels: Anita, Erin, Justin, lobsters, molting, NEAq Lobster Research and Rearing Facility

Friday, May 22, 2009

#115: I Want to be Like Smoke

In an earlier post, I tried napping like Smoke. Lately, I've noticed Smoke seems very comfortable laying out at the surface of the water for Belinda, so I thought I would give it a shot. Pretty comfortable!

-Erin

Labels: Erin, Harbor Seals, Smoke

Monday, May 18, 2009

#113: A Seal's Banana

For the last few months, I have been working on training Chuck to do a behavior we call a Banana. Interesting name, yes, but pretty fitting since it describes a natural resting behavior where seals lay on their side and lift their head and hind end up slightly, creating a shape that resembles a banana. With this behavior though, I wanted Chuck's final body position to be a little bit more exaggerated. What do you think?

-Erin

Labels: Banana, behavior, Chacoda, Erin, Harbor Seals, training

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

#106: Biggest Lobster Training at NEAQ

The biggest lobster at the Aquarium.
Note: He is not on exhibit at this time. This blog is the best place to see him.

You've seen a few posts on training we have done with some smaller lobsters (here and here), but did you also know we are training a 24 pound lobster? That's right - this lobster is the size of 3 newborn babies! I initially started off just learning how to feed him, but have since introduced a target and he is doing great.

Lobsters are really cool animals. Did you know that like people, they can develop handedness? All lobsters start out with their two claws the same size, but as they get older, they will start to use one claw more than the other. This claw will develop a lot of muscle, get really big, and become what we know as the "crusher" claw. The muscle of the crusher claw doesn't tire easily, so when the lobster needs to break open a shell (to get the food inside), the lobster can apply a lot of pressure over a long period of time. The other, smaller claw becomes the "pincher" claw. This claw can be moved quickly and is designed to cut through softer things, like fish.

Crusher claw (left) Pincher claw (right)

In the case of our big lobster here, his crusher claw is on his left and the pincher claw is on his right. I found that the best way to feed him was to lightly hold his pincher claw so I can get the food directly to his mouth. I don't have to apply a lot of pressure, but this way he knows where to focus and doesn't accidentally mistake my arm for food.

This video shows some of the training sessions with this big boy. You can see exactly how I feed him, how fast he can move his claw if I don't hold it, and his really great reactions to the target.

-Erin

Labels: 24lb lobster, Erin, lobsters, targeting, training, Video

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

#103: Lobster Flipping and Targeting

If you have been following our blog, you should be familiar with the training term "target" (if you need a refresher, check out the definition) and how we use it to train the marine mammals here at the Aquarium. Some of you may also remember that we are using a target to train some of the other animals at the Aquarium, including lungfish, lumpfish, frogs, and Myrtle the green sea turtle. Well now there's another animal we can add to the list ... lobsters!

Now I understand if you are wondering why we would want to train a lobster to target; we get that question a lot. As Justin previously explained, we were tasked to see if we could train the lobsters a behavior, then test how well they remember it over time. The results may be able to give us more information on a lobster's brain power.

Over the past few months, I have tried a number of approaches with this lobster, most of which involved trying to capture a behavior he was already doing. Here I am waiting for him to flip over on his back, which several of the lobsters did on their own before we started working with them. At first I wasn't having much success getting a particular behavior to happen with any regularity. However, I was learning a lot about this individual lobster: the best way to approach him, how to feed him, how he seemed to experience things. While I am certainly not a lobster expert by any means, learning all of these different things gave me a better appreciation for what might work best for us. Once I started training a "target" station with him, things moved more smoothly.

You can partially see him flipping over in this video:

One challenge was figuring out the best sized object to use as a target--what may seem small enough to me could be very large to my lobster (he is, after all, only a few inches long). I tried a few objects and had the best success with a small shell glued to a stick (below).

Now check out this video of him targeting the shell:

The first time I put the shell in the water, the lobster's inquisitive nature brought him over to investigate, but he stopped a bit short, a bit unsure of the situation. You'll notice though, as I introduce some food just beside the shell, the lobster comes all the way over and, while he is eating, checks out the shell a bit. His concerns must have been alleviated, because a few minutes later, I put the shell in again and this time he didn't hesitate at all. He came right over and I was able to feed him after he touched it.

Since we started this last week, he has come right over to the shell every time it was placed in the water! We have our first "test" ahead of us ... my lobster recently molted and for a few days after they are more concerned with staying safe and expanding their new soft shell than anything else. This time off will give us an opportunity to see just how much he remembers. Will he still associate the shell target on a stick with food?

-Erin

Labels: capturing, Erin, lobsters, targeting, training

Monday, February 9, 2009

#93: Chacoda featured in the Boston Globe

All of our recent posts on toothbrushing seems to have attracted some attention, because on Wednesday, Feb. 4, Chacoda and I did an interview with the Boston Globe to celebrate National Children's Dental Health Month (it is also National Pet Dental Health Month).

While Chuck did seem a little distracted by the camera at times, he was great while I brushed his teeth and the photographer was able to get some really great shots. Not only did the story make the front page of Boston.com that afternoon, but it was also featured on the front page of the Boston Globe's Metro section on Thursday!

-Erin

Labels: Boston Globe, Chacoda, Erin, Harbor Seals, National Children's Dental Health Month, National Pet Dental Health Month, News, toothbrushing, Video

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

#91: Toothbrushing 103: The Sonicare Brush

While Chacoda was regularly having his teeth brushed with the rotary toothbrush (and really great at it too), we noticed that there was some plaque build-up on his back teeth that, while not bad, just wasn't budging. So this past month I introduced Chuck to the Sonicare toothbrush with the hopes that it would just blast that plaque right off.

As you can see from this picture, the Sonicare brush is overall much larger, has a head that is similar in size to the manual toothbrushes, but what you can't see is that it vibrates significantly more than the rotary toothbrush (it will vibrate the toothpaste right off).

Since I have never used a Sonicare brush myself, I tried it first (when it was brand new and clean) so that I would have a better idea of what Chuck would be experiencing. Let me tell you, that brush makes your mouth tickle! I also learned from those that have regularly used this type of brush that it can cause some gum sensitivity in the beginning.

Taking these two things into consideration, I chose to start with Chuck's bottom teeth and only when he was very comfortable, move on to the top. My thought was that this would allow Chuck to become accustomed to the sensation of the brush, while minimizing any mouth sensitivity he may experience.

So far it's working well. As of today, Chuck will allow me to continue to brush his top teeth with the rotary brush while brushing his bottom teeth with the new Sonicare brush! This video shows just how comfortable Chuck is with the new Sonicare (and if you look closely in the beginning, you will notice the toothpaste nearly flying off the brush)!

Of course, how are we going to know for sure that this brush (or any) are working? Here is a picture of Chuck's mouth before we started using the Sonicare toothbrush. You may notice that the teeth in the back are darker than the ones in the front - that is because of that plaque build-up I mentioned earlier. In a few weeks I will take another picture of Chuck's teeth to check how the new toothbrush is working. So be sure to check back and hopefully we can see a difference.

-Erin

Labels: Chacoda, Erin, Harbor Seals, teeth, toothbrushing, Video

Monday, January 26, 2009

#89: Toothbrushing 102: The Rotary Toothbrush

The harbor seals have been comfortable getting their teeth brushed with a manual toothbrush for some time, so now we're introducing a rotary toothbrush. This battery-operated toothbrush has a smaller head that quickly rotates in circles. We share a couple of brush bases, but as you see in the picture, everyone has their own brush head. The letters on the heads tell us whose toothbrush it is. For example, "CA" stands for Cayenne.

Having a toothbrush that moves on it's own takes some getting used to. We took it slow, but as you can see from the picture above, 6 of the 7 seals are using the rotary toothbrush for some or all of their toothbrushing. Here is a video of Cayenne getting her teeth brushed with the rotary toothbrush - if you listen carefully you can even hear the sound of the toothbrush.

-Erin

Labels: Cayenne, Erin, Harbor Seals, teeth, toothbrushing, Video

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

#85: Mirror, Mirror On The Wall ...

Not only does it look like Trumpet and Cayenne are looking at their reflections, but this mother and daughter pair strike the same pose!

-Erin

Labels: Cayenne, Erin, Harbor Seals, Trumpet

Monday, January 12, 2009

#83: Tooth Brushing 101

In a previous post, I showed you a visit from our veterinary dentist Dr. Laura LeVan. What do you think we do with the seals between visits from the dentist? We brush their teeth!

Everyday we brush the seal's teeth to prevent plaque, gingivitis and fish breath. We use regular toothbrushes from the grocery store and special malt-flavored toothpaste made for dogs and cats. (We did a number of taste tests and the malt flavored was the preferred choice for the seals - even over the seafood flavored!) We also have a mouth rinse that is applied directly to their teeth and gums. We haven't been able to teach them to gargle.

Our Sunday volunteers Katie and Janine show the seals' mouthwash, toothpaste, and toothbrushes.

Training one of the animals to sit comfortably while we brush their teeth may sound a little hard to believe, I can assure you all of the seals are great with it. Check it out!

-Erin

Labels: Amelia, approximations, Dentist, Erin, Harbor Seals, teeth, toothbrushing, Video, volunteering

Thursday, January 8, 2009

#81: Just Another Day at the Office

Rochelle and I were the only two trainers on last week. With seven seals to feed you might think it would be difficult, but this is where those name targets come in handy. Each of us did two sessions with five seals at a time, which allowed the other trainer to focus on two. It was enriching for both us and the seals; you will notice that Rochelle and I didn't always feed the same animals or even line them up in the same order, but by using those name targets we were able to keep the five seals together calmly and give everyone the attention they deserved.

Here is Rochelle with (starting from the top) Trumpet, Lana, Smoke, Reggae, and Amelia.
Can you find all five targets?

In this picture I am working with (from the top) Cayenne, Chuck, Smoke, Reggae, and Lana. With the other four seals focusing on their name targets I am able to give Smoke some of her daily eye drops.

I wonder what today will bring?

-Erin

Labels: Amelia, Cayenne, Chacoda, Erin, Eye Drops, Harbor Seals, Lana, name target, Reggae, Rochelle, Smoke, Trumpet

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

#80: New Year's Resolution

Now that 2009 is here, many of us are hoping to keep our New Year's resolutions. One popular resolution is to be healthier, either by quitting a bad habit or trying to eat better. The New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center is scheduled to open this year so fitness is on the minds of many Aquarium staff. The animal training staff is no exception and we vowed to be more active in 2009. If we just did some of the behaviors that the seals do everyday, we would be making a good start. So here are a few examples of some seal behaviors that we thought we would try.

Smoke's inverted bottling behavior looks very similar to Justin's headstand...

... and when Rochelle sits down to give Amelia the signal, they can do sit-ups together!

Of course, there's nothing like dancing to get everyone moving!

So what do you like to do to stay active? Be sure to check back to see what new activities we are trying out and how the new exhibit is coming along.

Happy New Year!

-Erin

Labels: Amelia, Erin, Harbor Seals, Justin, Lana, Marine Mammal Exhibit, new years resolution, Patty, Reggae, Rochelle, Smoke, Video

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

#78: A Trainer's Holiday Story

Once upon a time there was a group of talented trainers who worked at the New England Aquarium. These trainers decided to send holiday cards to all their friends to let them know they were thinking of them. "What sort of card should we send?" they wondered. They thought and they thought and they thought. Then one said, "Let's have our photogenic harbor seals kiss under mistletoe!" "Brilliant!" shouted the trainers with glee.

So one of the trainers gathered some fake mistletoe (because real mistletoe is dangerous) and held it above Cayenne and Chuck. For three days the trainers tried to get the perfect picture, but this wasn't as easy as they had thought. The mistletoe had to hang lower to be seen in the picture, Cayenne didn't like the mistletoe so close to her head and Chuck kept smelling the fake mistletoe and leaving in disgust--yuck! At the end of the third day when all the trainers were starting to get discouraged they reviewed their pictures and what did they find...

... THE MOST PERFECT PICTURE THEY HAD EVER SEEN!

They quickly uploaded it, because these trainers are computer-savvy, and created a card to send to all of their friends. So to you, our friend, the Marine Mammal Department wishes you a happy holiday season!

The End.

-Erin

Labels: Cayenne, Chacoda, Erin, Harbor Seals, Mistletoe

Thursday, November 20, 2008

#66: What does that mean?

Alright, we get it. Sometimes we use terms that make sense to us, but not necessarily to you. So here are a few of the terms that you might find useful when we talk about training:

Signal: Any touch, word, sound or visible gesture that cues the animals to do a particular behavior. For example: saying the word "Wave" directs a seal to move their flipper back and forth. The word wave is a verbal signal.

Putting our hands out and moving from side to side is a gesture that directs the seals to dance. We call this signal a hand signal.

Touching the top of a seal's nose is a signal that cues them to exhale. The touch is called a tactile signal.

Here you can see Jenny giving Lana the hand signal to dance - notice that Lana is raising her left flipper out of the water to mirror Jenny's right hand. Check out this video of dancing behavior.

Bridge: A signal that is used to indicate the precise instant that the seal did something correctly. When the seal hears or feels the bridge, they immediately stop what they're doing and look to the trainer for fish or other reinforcement. It "bridges" the time between the behavior and reinforcement. Like a signal, a bridge can be visual, auditory or tactile.

Some of the bridges that we use include saying the word "Good," a short blow on a whistle, or two gentle taps on the seal's body.

Here is Baranov using his bridge...

...and Paul is using his whistle bridge.

Reinforcement: Anything the animal wants, needs or wants more of. Here at the Aquarium, our main reinforcement for the seals is fish, but it can also be a favorite toy, a scratch on the chin or any number of things. It's good to have multiple types of reinforcement--just like people, each seal has it's own likes and dislikes which can change over time. Also, not all seals like the same thing. One seal might enjoy a scratch under the chin while another one may not want to be touched.

Here, Jenny is using fish to reinforce Lana...

...but sometimes Lana likes to have her neck scratched.

Target: Any object the animal is taught to touch with their nose, flipper or other part of their body. Targets

provide a focal point and can be used to train any behavior. The seals can be comfortable targeting for several minutes during ultra sound or blood sampling. Gradually raising the height of a target over the water helps teach a seal where to jump. Here at the Aquarium, we use three types of targets: a hand target, a target pole with a bead or ball target on the end, and a name target.

Each seal has a specific object for their name target. At the start of each training session, the seals will look or listen for their particular target. When they find it, they know where in the exhibit their session will take place and which trainer will do their training session.

Here you see Smoke is targeting on a trainers hand while Reggae targets on his name target (a plastic tire) and Amelia targets on her name target (a black plastic disc with slits in it). If you look in the background you will also see examples of other name targets--notice how they are all different.

In this video you can see how they all work together:

When I want to ask Chuck and Cayenne to go to their Name targets, I point to the targets (hand signal) while saying the word "Target" (verbal signal). Once Chuck and Cayenne touch their nose to their individual targets, I will say the word "Good" (bridge) and feed them some fish (reinforcement).

Using these four tools correctly is what has allowed us to train so many behaviors. It's fun. Try it with your friends!

-Erin

Labels: behavior, bridge, Cayenne, Chacoda, Erin, Harbor Seals, name target, reinforcement, signal, training, Video

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

#65: 36th Annual IMATA Conference

The International Marine Animal Trainers' Association (IMATA) is a collection of members that work, or aspire to work with, marine animals through training for public display and/or research. It is an organization that everyone in our Marine Mammal department belongs to and one that has been a big part of my professional career. Each year, members of IMATA meet for a week-long conference to exchange knowledge, network, attend workshops, and listen to presentations on a variety of topics.

This year Patty, Jenny, and I had the opportunity to attend the conference, which was hosted by Dolphin Discovery in Cancun, Mexico. In addition to being members of IMATA, Patty and I serve as Committee Chairs (I am the Merchandise Chair and Patty is the Finance Co-Chair) and as a result, we went down a few days early to attend the Board of Directors Meetings. While meetings in Cancun may seem like an oxymoron, it is during these meetings that IMATA's future is planned so it can be exciting; plus any time you get a number of animal trainers in a room, it's sure to be interesting!

We listened to 40 great presentations covering such varied topics a Stellar sea lions participating in a hearing test, stingray enrichment, use of honey as wound management in dolphins, turtle training, and the roles trainers and vet staff play in the care of a pregnant grey seal. There were also a number of great poster presentations on subjects like dolphin and seal painting techniques and manatee training, just to name a few. There was a career fair where you could have your resume reviewed and edited and also learn about many different aquariums, zoos and animal parks.

Dolphin Discovery also provided us the opportunity to spend the entire day at their facility at Isla Mujeres. There were many activities to choose from. We could participate in a dolphin or manatee interaction program, attend workshops or snorkel the nearby reef. I had the opportunity to meet Audrey and as you can see, I had a blast!

Each conference is different and I always leave inspired. While I enjoy every minute of the conference, I find myself excited to get back to the Aquarium to share all of the great ideas and knowledge I have acquired. This year I had another reason to be excited to get back--the New England Aquarium will be the host for the 2010 IMATA conference and I was eager to start planning. Just like we use this blog as a way to share with you what we do in our department, hosting the 2010 IMATA conference will give us the opportunity to show our peers first hand what we have accomplished here! With such great animals though, the only question is...where do we start?

- Erin

Labels: Dolphin, Erin, IMATA

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

#61: Lobster Spa Treatment

Chewie, the 17-pound lobster living in the harbor seal exhibit, needs regular check-ups just like everyone else. You might find that his check ups seem more like a day at the spa than a doctor's visit.

Full Body Scrub: People pay big dollars for an algae wrap at a spa. Chewie's treatment is just the opposite. I gently remove any algae with a soft sponge. We use his shell appearance to help determine his overall health.

Manicure/Pedicure: With the help of our head veterinarian, Dr. Smolowitz, we are taking a closer look at the condition of Chewie's shell, especially on his claws. Having a strong, healthy shell will ensure that Chewie stays strong and healthy himself.

If you're thinking that Chewie's next stop is the "steam room," get that idea out of your head right now!

All that's left to do is book a follow-up appointment!

-Erin

Labels: Chewie, Erin, Harbor Seals, lobsters

Sunday, October 19, 2008

#60: Nap Time!

While I was in the harbor seal exhibit the other day, I decided to try out the bottling behavior that Smoke seems to enjoy so much. It was so relaxing I could've taken a nap myself!

-Erin

Labels: bottling, Erin, Harbor Seals, Smoke

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

#57: Free Swimming with the Seals Update

We have had the opportunity to do a number of free swims with the harbor seals now, so I wanted to show you some of the interactions we have had.

Smoke showed interest even before I got in the water, then came by for a quick touch. Rochelle and Amelia played with the orange boomer ball, Lana checked out her favorite toy then Smoke came over for a good scratch from Justin. Cayenne, who has been a little shy about the free swim idea, swam close to take a closer look at Lindsay. We all agree that these free swims are not only enriching for the seals, but for the trainers as well!

-Erin

Labels: Amelia, Cayenne, enrichment, Erin, Harbor Seals, Smoke, swims, Video

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

#56: Playing with Cayenne

One goal of our enrichment sessions is to find things that each of our seals are interested in. Cayenne always seemed to be interested in things going outside the exhibit, so one afternoon, with Rochelle's help, I went out with the camera to see, and this is what I got.

-Erin

Labels: Cayenne, enrichment, Erin, Video

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

#53: Synchronized Porpoising

I recently decided that I would like to train a synchronized porpoise with Chuck and Cayenne. When you choose a behavior to train, you must first decide what you would like the finished behavior to look like. Otherwise, how will you - know when you are done? In this case, I wanted to give the signal and have Chuck and Cayenne porpoise (jump up out of the water) at the exact same time until I gave them the signal to stop (bridge). Once I figured that out, I was able to plan out the steps I would take to get there. Since porpoising is a behavior both Chuck and Cayenne already know, I chose to start here. I give Chuck and Cayenne their porpoise signal (rotate my extended right arm in a circle backwards up over my shoulder) and blow my whistle (bridge) only when they jump up out of the water at the same time. The idea is that they will start to realize they are only being bridged when they porpoise together and will start to offer it more.

In this video, you will see that they both respond to the signal immediately, but that in the beginning, they are jumping out of the water at different times. Once they jump out of the water together, listen for the whistle sound, that is the bridge. The whistle bridge is very long and loud because it didn't seem like they were listening to it. I wanted to make sure that they heard it. Once they have stopped and returned to me, I reinforce the behavior with a lot of fish.

Stay tuned to see our progress.

- Erin

Labels: Cayenne, Chacoda, Erin, synchronized porpoise, Video

Sunday, September 21, 2008

#51: Free Swimming with the Harbor Seals

We have recently started free swims with the Atlantic harbor seals. What exactly is a free swim you ask? For us, it is any time a person is in the water with the seals outside of a training session or cleaning dive. We consider free swims to be a type of enrichment for the seals (and of course the trainers). Since it is very new and we want the seals to be comfortable with us hanging out in the exhibit, we will start by going in for short periods of time, taking a break, then going back in.

In this video, you can see Rochelle doing one of the first free swims with the seals. In her first short swim, Amelia comes right over to check her out. In the second swim, Rochelle has picked up a toy to see if anyone is interested and Chuck swims by while Cayenne checks her out from a distance (look at the top left corner). In the third swim, Trumpet checks her out from a distance. I wonder if they will come any closer?...Check back to see!

- Erin

Labels: Amelia, Cayenne, Chacoda, Erin, Harbor Seals, swims, toys, Trumpet, Video

Thursday, September 11, 2008

#46: Fur Seal Update 3- Meeting the NYAq Trainers

So, it hasn't been all fun and games down here. (Well that's a lie - with a job like this it's always fun). But seriously, while we have been getting the girls acclimated, we have also been introducing them to the trainers at the New York Aquarium (NYAq).

Since the fur seals will be in New York for about 1 year while their exhibit is under construction, the trainers at the NYAq will need to know everything about them. So during every training session, the trainers at NYAq accompany us, get to know the girls and learn their behaviors. Here you can see Belinda introducing Jaclyn to Ursula.

We are happy to say that this last week has been great and we are really happy with how the girls have settled in. Now that we spent some time in NY, it's time to see what has been going on back in Boston. See you there.

- Erin

Labels: Erin, New York Aquarium, Northern Fur Seal, Ursula

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

#45: Fur Seal Update 2 - Enrichment

Just because the girls are somewhere new, doesn't mean they don't get to enjoy the luxuries of home. While we are sure they will enjoy all of the great enrichment items NYAq has to offer, we brought a few of their favorite toys with them to help in the transition. Those items include a boomer ball, some car wash strips, a few rubber chew toys, and a few molds to make some fish-icles with.

Here, Chainsaw is checking out some fish-icles that Belinda has made. Yum!

That wasn't the only thing she checked out!

- Erin

Labels: Chainsaw, enrichment, Erin, New York Aquarium, Northern Fur Seal

#44: Fur Seal Update 1 - We Have Arrived!

We are really happy to say that our three female Northern fur seals arrived safely at the New York Aquarium. All three went right into the water, have been eating well and been participating nicely in training sessions since then. Belinda, Rochelle and I stayed with they for a bit to help the seals acclimate to their new environment and trainers. So while I am happy to make this announcement to everyone in Boston, Cordova has been announcing their arrival to everyone in Brooklyn. Just listen to her:

Stay tuned for more updates.

-Erin

Labels: Erin, New York Aquarium, Northern Fur Seal, transport, Video

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

#41: New York Here We Come!

Very soon we will be on the road to the New York Aquarium (NYAq). Before that happens, I wanted to give you an idea of what is really involved with moving the fur seals. I think you will be surprised to find it is very similar to how human beings travel.

So, while Belinda does some homework on our destination, I will tell you what we need before we go:

Travel Papers. Similar to how we need passports to travel, we need to get government documents stating that the fur seals can travel from one aquarium to another.

Insurance. Just like you (or your parents) carry medical insurance cards in case you have to see the doctor while you are gone, we have sent all of the fur seals' medical information to NYAq. That way the veterinary staff will know their history (like your doctor does) and can take the best possible care of them while they are there.

Travel Books. Some people like to bring travel books so that they can learn about their destination. What to see, where to eat, and what historical sites to see. The fur seals will also be traveling with books, but these books are for the trainers at the NYAq. They will help the trainers learn about these specific fur seals--what they know, what they eat, what they have done in the past

Transportation. How are you going to get there? When you are traveling, you want to get to your final destination as quickly as possible, but you also want to be practical. Lets face it, you are going to have some luggage. So if you are traveling nearby, you drive; if traveling far away, you fly. Same thing for fur seals. Since we are only going a few hours away, we will be driving down. But we will not be taking the family minivan - we have a truck. A big one. It's nice.

Luggage. What do you need to make your trip enjoyable? Our girls are packing the following: ice, ice, ice, and...oh yeah...ice. They like to travel cold. Brrr! They are also packing a few things which will help the trainers know more about them.

Travel Buddies. While you may travel by yourself, our fur seals do not. In addition to the three fur seals, there are seven people taking the trip. While each one has a specific role to play, everyone will be working to make sure the seals have a safe transport and a smooth transition to their new home.

Security. No trip is complete without the security check. Cordova, you are good to go!

So I think we are set. See you in New York!!
-Erin

Labels: Bill, Chainsaw, Cordova, Dr. Charlie, Erin, National Marine Fisheries Service, Northern Fur Seal, transport, Ursula

#40: Fur Seals Are Moving!

By this time next week, the fur seals will no longer be at the New England Aquarium...for a little while at least. Construction for the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center is set to start soon with the hopes that it will be open for next summer. So in the meantime, the fur seals will head out of town. Baranov, our temporary summer resident, will be returning to the Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration, while the females, Chainsaw, Cordova, and Ursula will head to the New York Aquarium. While we will all miss them, we are looking forward to working with them again in the new exhibit. Stay tuned - we will be posting blogs on what it takes to move these seals. And for those of you who haven't been in to see the seals recently, buy your tickets now. See you soon!

Erin

Labels: Baranov, Chainsaw, Cordova, Erin, Marine Mammal Exhibit, Northern Fur Seal, transport, Ursula

Thursday, July 3, 2008

#25: Trip to the Dentist

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, Video

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

#14: Seal Diets

What do the seals eat? It is a great question and one that gets asked a lot. At the NEAq, all of our seals are offered a combination of three foods, pictured above: herring (top), capelin (middle), and squid (bottom). Our fur seals eat mostly squid, with a little herring and capelin, while our harbor seals are the opposite; they eat mostly herring and capelin with a little squid. Regardless of their preferences, it takes a lot of food to keep our seals healthy. We are currently thawing approximately 80 lbs. of food every day!

-Erin

Labels: diets, Erin, Harbor Seals, Northern Fur Seal

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

#8: Man Diving

This picture, titled "Man Diving," was created by a 12-year old. Impressed? Now, what if we told you it was created by our 12 year-old male Atlantic harbor seal, Chacoda? Bet you are impressed now. Painting is a behavior that 5 of our 7 harbor seals know and each animal has developed their own unique style. Since seals are colorblind, the trainers will pick out the colors, but the animals create the masterpiece.

Labels: Art, Chacoda, Erin, Harbor Seals, Painting

#7: Chewie

Seals aren't the only animals found in our Harbor Seal Exhibit. My name is Erin, a marine mammal trainer here at the NEAq. Last December, after doing a routine cleaning dive in the front exhibit, I helped introduce "Chewie" (short for Chewbacca), a 17-pound American lobster into his new home. Harbor seals and lobsters are naturally found in the same waters, so it was no stretch to believe that they would be able to live together here at the NEAq. The 7 Harbor seals at the NEAq have shared space with a number of lobsters over the years (including Luke and Leia), but none as big as Chewie, and while his size may be intimidating to us, everyone is getting along great in the exhibit. You will likely find him on the left side of the exhibit, so be sure to stop and take a look the next time you come by.

Labels: Chewie, Erin, Harbor Seals, lobsters, Video

About

Why do we train seals? There are lots of reasons. Training keeps these intelligent animals stimulated. They really seem to enjoy learning new behaviors. Training also helps develop a close, working relationship based on trust. It's this trusting relationship that allows Aquarium biologists to work in close proximity to the seals so they can get checkups. This blog provides a window into the life and work of the Aquarium's marine mammal trainers.