Animal Updates | Birds | Fish | Mammals | Sharks | Video | Volunteering
Thursday, September 29, 2011
The Aquarium’s Critters Seen from a Different Angle | Hugh 
When you take a look at the Aquarium’s critters from a slightly different view point you may see things you didn’t notice before. Seen from ground level a seal happily “skips” along with her trainer. Seen from his point-of-view, a sea lion makes an exciting high-speed head-on pass with one of his exhibit mates. These are just two unique views of the critters at the Aquarium of the Pacific that you’ll see in this week’s blog in the video “The Aquarium’s Critters from a Different Angle”!
Animal Updates | Mammals | Volunteering
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Who’s Who? | Hugh
Recognizing the Aquarium's Pinnipeds
To a wet-side volunteer like myself that spends a lot of time around them, the seals and sea lions of the Aquarium of the Pacific are as individual and recognizable as any of my close friends and relatives. However I’ve been reminded by a dry-side staffer that perhaps to guests and non marine mammal staff the pinnipeds may not be quite as recognizable to them. So this week’s blog is about how to tell our pinnipeds apart and, as a bit of an insight to them, how I tell them apart by their looks and personality.
Animal Updates | Mammals | Video | Volunteering
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Sea Lion-Cam with Milo…and Harpo | Hugh
Milo the sea lion received a new toy last weekend. His old low resolution video camera on his “sea lion-cam” rig has now been replaced with a new high definition video camera. Our aquatic photographer took it out for a test dive last Saturday. This week’s blog features the video shot by Milo while he and I tried out the camera for the first time.
Video | Volunteering | Mammals
Thursday, June 23, 2011
CHECK OUT OLLIE THE OTTER PUP THIS SUMMER! | Hugh
Need a cute fix this summer? Come on out to the Aquarium of the Pacific and check out Ollie the sea otter pup! The adorable ball of fur is now part of the Sea Otter Exhibit!
Volunteering | Mammals
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
OLLIE THE SEA OTTER MEETS THE FURBALL | Hugh
It was the moment that I had been looking forward to for months. Little Orphan Ollie would finally meet the first sea otter that I’d ever help raise as a pup. The anticipation of the meeting stirred a bit of exultation and a little bit of anxiousness. What would happen when Ollie would finally meet the critter that I nicknamed the Furball?
Volunteering | Mammals
Thursday, May 26, 2011
SEA OTTER AND SEA LION RETRIEVAL BEHAVIORS | Hugh
What does a trainer do if they accidentally drop something into the otter exhibit? Or if it’s the end of the day and time to put the sea lion toys away? Does he or she don a wetsuit to retrieve the items personally from the water or find a long pole net to try to scoop them up? Well fortunately they don’t have to do either. One of the more practical behaviors that we train our sea lions and otters to do at the Aquarium of the Pacific is to retrieve objects from their exhibit.
Conservation | Volunteering | Turtles
Thursday, May 12, 2011
THE URBAN SEA TURTLES OF LONG BEACH | Hugh
About 6 miles away from the Aquarium of the Pacific on the east side of Long Beach runs an urban river with a very surprising wildlife colony. You’d expect to see them while on an exotic journey to Mexican or Hawaiian waters. Yet right under the noses of Southern Californian recreational cyclists riding the San Gabriel River bike path lives a colony of endangered green sea turtles!
Conservation | Volunteering | Mammals
Thursday, April 28, 2011
BABY OTTERS DON’T EAT HOT DOGS! | Hugh
Observations of a Mother Otter and Her Pup in Monterey Harbor
A heartwarming story of a wild sea otter mom and her possibly adopted pup as she teaches it what it should and shouldn’t eat in Monterey Harbor.
Birds
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Helping Wayward Magellanic Penguins | Hugh
Last Saturday I had the opportunity to meet five non-releasable Magellanic Penguins that had washed ashore in Brazil distressed and had found both a home and medical help at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
Volunteering | Mammals
Thursday, March 31, 2011
OLLIE THE SEA OTTER GETS A ROLE MODEL | Hugh
When Ollie was introduced to Brook a few weeks ago the goal was to gradually accustom the little critter to other sea otters. Brook, being the senior female of the exhibit, is also turning out to be an excellent role model for the younger otter. Check out the images of the two otters together.
