Aquarium of the Pacific

One of my favorite things about being a mammalogy volunteer is that when you walk through the doors early in the morning, you never know exactly what kind of different, exciting activities the day will bring!

Read More...

Permalink

We want all of our animals here at the Aquarium to be happy and healthy!  A key component in achieving that goal is to make sure each animal is given a high-quality, well-balanced diet.  As you might have guessed, a huge part of a marine mammal volunteer’s day is spent preparing the food that the animals will be eating that day.  This is actually a little more work than most people think, so I thought it would be fun to share some details about what our animals eat and how we go about preparing it for them.

Read More...

Permalink

I’m pleased to report that we have another new addition to our pinniped family at the Aquarium! A rescued two-year-old male California sea lion joined current residents Miller, Parker, Shelby, Ellie, and newcomer Troy this past Thursday in the Seal and Sea Lion Habitat. I encourage everyone to come on out and see Odin living it up in his new home.  Isn’t it nice when a rescue story has a happy ending?

Read More...

Permalink

Have you ever seen a sea lion speeding through the water like a torpedo and then doing a dynamic leap into the air?  A harbor seal gracefully twirling in her pool?  How about a sea otter coming up on deck and standing up on its rear flippers?  Chances are you have if you’ve observed any of our marine mammal training sessions here at the Aquarium.  Animals have always amazed me with their abilities and adaptations, and its always exciting to see them in action. However, it’s not all about fun and entertainment. Though entertainment and teaching the public about environmental conservation are extremely important, there are some other very important reasons we train our animals.  Reasons that directly benefit the animals themselves, and that’s what it’s all about.

Read More...

Permalink

He’s handsome, he’s covered in fur, and he’s the newest resident of our Seal and Sea Lion Habitat! Meet Troy, our three-year-old male harbor seal. This past Thursday was Troy’s big day, as he was released into the 211,000 gallon Seal and Sea Lion Habitat to meet current residents Shelby, Ellie, Miller, and Parker. Since Troy’s arrival, many guests have asked me where our marine mammals come from so I’d like to take the opportunity to address that question here in my blog.

Read More...

Permalink