New England Aquarium week!
Thank you to Dan and Dawn Dolan for hosting me in Boston during my time at the New England Aquarium! I went to the Quincy rehabilitation and husbandry center with Dan on the first day, spending the first part of the day in the turtle rehabilitation center helping with feeding, exam checkups, tagging, and more! There, I learned all about the multiple types of tagging (satellite, acoustic, flipper tags) including how long they last, where they go on the turtle, how big the turtle needs to be for them to be attached. The turtles were so fun to watch and be around, and it was cool to get to know their personalities a bit while I was feeding them. Some would come right up and steal everyone’s food, others would hang back and ignore the fish even when you put it right in front of their face. When taking them out for exams a few would flip around while others just sat on the towel peacefully. On the husbandry side I had the opportunity to feed the rays! Their vacuum-like mouths and hard plates felt weird at first, but I got used to it quickly and had a blast trying to get them all their fish before they swam away. I also got to watch them play with different enrichment objects and clean part of one of the quarantine tanks. It was while cleaning that I met Potato! Potato is a little balloon fish, and I had a great time watching him swim around and up to Dan asking for food. Thank you so much to the Husbandry and Rehabilitation Team!
The next day I got to hang with the penguin team! They were such great people to work with and, just like the others at Quincy, very knowledgeable about the animals. They welcomed me with open arms and gave me the chance to feed and hold the penguins! I am so grateful for the opportunity to hang out with them (even if it was cold water!), and I had so much fun learning about each individual penguin and who was a picky eater vs a more aggressive one vs “a shark” that tried to snatch fallen fish out of the water before you grabbed it back up. They were lively and a few were very interested in the enrichment, which was cool to see. I just had to remember to keep my hands up out of the water, so they didn’t bite my fingers as they circled around me. Overall, such a good day, and I appreciate wet suits for keeping me warm! Thank you so much to the Penguin Team!
Next, I had the amazing opportunity to hang out with the Giant Ocean Tank team for two days! First up, we pulled the two loggerhead turtles out of the tank to record their weight and check their eyes. They were pretty good about getting in but did not want their eyes checked with the bright light. Then I prepared food for Myrtle the turtle and the comb and triggerfish! Myrtle gets her fish wrapped up in lettuce and it was fun to try to get her to eat the butts of the lettuce which she can be picky about. After feeding, I got to get in the water! I dove around mesmerized by the fish coming right up to my face and Myrtle asking for back scratches. I had a great time and learned so much about how they feed and run the tank. The second day I already knew how to do some tasks such as feeding Myrtle and food prep and was delighted to be able to do them on my own. Thank you, GOT!
I also had the opportunity to shadow the touch tank and medical staff during barb clips of the rays. It was amazing to see the efficiency with which the different departments came together to make it a smooth process. The person cutting the barbs used a tool as simple as dog nail clippers but had to make sure the barb was long and pointy enough to need cutting. I learned some species have up to 10 barbs and sometimes they can grow backward by accident! One of them also needed an ultrasound and it was cool to see how they infiltrated the gills with water so the ray could stay breathing while on the exam table. I can now officially say I have seen the inside of a ray! Lastly, I found it very interesting that they scatter fed the rays whereas other departments had to count the amount of food most animals got to make sure they were eating enough. Thank you, Touch Tank and Medical Staff!
I spent my last day with marine mammals which includes the sea lions and harbor seals. I watched them do each training session, which was the most interesting part of the day. I even got to give the harbor seal Amelia a salute, wave, and dance signal. The intensity with which the animals pay attention to their trainer is incredible. They respond to the slightest movements and bark when they get excited that they did something right. I think it is awesome that they can train them to voluntarily offer different positions and parts of their bodies for exams and checkups. It makes it easier and more enjoyable for everyone and is one of the most crucial parts of their training. To end the week, I helped to clean up and learned about food prep. I was surprised to learn they eat Jello! Thank you, Marine Mammal Team, for a great last day!
Overall, it was an amazing week, and I am incredibly grateful to all the Aquarium staff and Dan Dolan for organizing it. I have learned that most everyday aquarium animal care is the same routine, however, each day holds at least one unique new task.