Cool picture of the day: Erin putting Chewie the lobster back into the exhibit with Chacoda and Amelia checking things out. I wonder what they're thinking...

Labels: Amelia, Chaconda, Chewie, Harbor Seals, Justin

Summer Camp Aquarium Style

When I was younger I went to summer camp. From what I remember there were mosquitoes, a really cold lake and raccoons that broke into my tent. There are many more summer camp options these days. This summer we have hosted the Aquarium's Harbor Discoveries Camp for a sneak peek behind the scenes of our exhibits.


This isn't your typical summer camp. Along with the usual smores eatin' and kumbaya-in' that they do on their overnight trips, these kids are also serious thinkers! The groups we hosted focused on animal husbandry and aquarium exhibit design. Along with in-depth discussions about animal care, we also found some time to have a couple of intimate encounters with the seals and Myrtle the green sea turtle.

-Justin

subscribe

Labels: Harbor Discoveries Camp, Justin, Myrtle, Reggae, Trumpet

The Harbor Seals are Molting

The molting season is in full swing for the harbor seals. Here are some photos from the past few days of Smoke, our oldest harbor seal.

The brown areas are patches of old hair, the silver is all new stuff.

-Justin

subscribe

Labels: hair, harbor seal, Justin, molting, Smoke

No More Split Ends

The air is warm, the sun is bright and the faint (and sometimes not so faint) aroma of sunbathing harbor seals fills the air. Summer is molting season. The harbor seals will lose their hair soon. No need for Rogaine or Propecia, though. Our seals will replace their lost hair on their own over a couple of weeks. Since the seals rely on their hair to protect their skin they need it to be in good condition, so their coat is replaced once a year. During this time they tend to spend more time out of the water. We call this "hauling out." Sunbathing promotes more blood flow to the skin and allows for a quick replacement of healthy hair. While they are molting their appetite decreases and they often aren't their usual spunky selves. Growing all new hair is hard work! By the end of August all of our harbor seals will have new glossy coats appropriate for any herbal shampoo commercial.

subscribe

Labels: hair, harbor seal, hauling out, Justin, molting

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.

subscribe

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

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

subscribe

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

Smoke's 37th Birthday

The paparazzi was in full force at the harbor seal exhibit the other day when we celebrated Smoke's 37th birthday. Smoke is one of the oldest harbor seals in the country. Atlantic harbor seals typically live into their mid twenties, so 37 is quite a feat!

You can view a video of the happy day here.

Labels: birthday, fish cake, harbor seal, Justin, Smoke

Is that the same seal?

Northern fur seals have one of the densest fur coats in the world. There are up to 300,000 hairs per square inch on their bodies. Here are two pictures of the same fur seal, Chainsaw, when she is dry and wet. They look incredibly different sometimes. When they are dry they are so soft and fuzzy, when wet they're smooth and sleek.

-Justin

subscribe

Labels: Chainsaw, fur seals, Justin

Lana plays and soaks Justin

We use a lot of different toys during our play sessions with the seals. Each seal has preferences...most like fish popsicles, many like to get a water massage from a hose, and others like to swim through bubbles we make in the water. Lana loves to play tug of war. The green rope is a felt-like strip of material used in drive-through car washes. She likes to take it in her mouth and feel it on her face. During this play session the other day we were having a great time until something must have caught her eye and spooked her. Either that or she thought I smelled especially fishy and needed another bath. At any rate she soaked me. It's a good thing it's getting warmer out.

-Justin

subscribe

Labels: enrichment, harbor seal, Justin, Lana