Happy Birthday, Trumpet and Amelia! Two Atlantic Harbor Seals Turn 40

What was happening in 1985? That was the year of the short-lived New Coke, when the wreck of the Titanic was found, and the space shuttle Discovery completed its mission. Here in Boston, Raymond L. Flynn was mayor, Larry Bird and the Celtics were in the NBA finals against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Lakers, and Atlantic harbor seals Amelia and Trumpet were born at the New England Aquarium!

Today, at 40, Amelia and Trumpet are some of the longest-lived harbor seals in human care—and thanks to the work of our Animal Care and veterinary teams, all of the harbor seals at the Aquarium are outliving their expected lifespan in the wild. We’re excited to be celebrating these half-sisters’ milestone birthday this spring!

Learn a bit about Amelia and Trumpet and see how you can join the celebration during a visit to the New England Aquarium:

Amelia

Born on May 28, 1985, Amelia is just a few days older than her half-sister, Trumpet. Her mother was Smoke and her father was Hoover, the famous “talking” seal. Amelia has another half-sibling at the Aquarium—Reggae was also born to Smoke in 1993.

Amelia is part of the non-spotted family of harbor seals here at the Aquarium, which means she has no spots on her belly. She’s also easily identifiable among the other harbor seals as she only has one eye. After experiencing prolonged inflammation of her cornea, Amelia’s eye was removed for her comfort, but it hasn’t slowed her down at all. She loves engaging with her trainers during enrichment sessions, foraging for toys, and “bottling”—swimming in a vertical position with her head above water—to observe Aquarium visitors.

When she’s relaxing, “she can usually be found sleeping in funny positions,” said trainer Mollie Collins. “She likes to drape herself over the underwater wall right in front of guests!”

Trumpet

Trumpet was born on June 7, 1985, to mother Cecile and father Hoover. She’s also a mom herself! Her now-grown-up pups Cayenne and Chacoda can also be seen swimming around the Atlantic harbor seal exhibit. These animals make up the spotted family, meaning they all have spots on their bellies. Cayenne and Chacoda have dark grey or black spots, making it easy to tell them apart from mom Trumpet, who is lighter in coloration.

Like her sister Amelia, Trumpet enjoys enrichment sessions with our trainers—and she’s a prolific painter! “Trumpet has also been known to check herself out in our mirror toys,” Mollie said.

To celebrate Amelia and Trumpet’s 40th birthdays, staff around the Aquarium made cards for the pair. Their “party” included special enrichment both inside and outside the exhibit, along with a card for guests to sign and share their birthday wishes.

Want to wish these harbor seal sisters a happy 40^th? Come to the New England Aquarium to sign Amelia and Trumpet’s big birthday card—and see nearly 10,000 more incredible marine animals during your visit.

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