My next stop at the New England Aquarium took me to the Marine Mammal Center. The exhibit is home to northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus), harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), and California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). Each day, multiple training sessions are conducted to engage and stimulate the minds of these highly intelligent animals, especially since many of them were brought to the aquarium as rescues. I dedicated hours to practicing new commands with the harbor seals and was captivated by their attentiveness, observing how they carefully interpreted each gesture from the trainers to perform the desired commands. Whether it was speaking, kissing, or blowing bubbles, these seals demonstrated an impressive ability to respond to well over two hundred commands! While conversing with the trainers, we delved into fascinating topics ranging from animal intelligence and sentience to the extent to which humans often underestimate the cognitive abilities of other creatures. I also had the opportunity to interact with some of the northern fur seals, particularly Ursula, who is blind but incredibly sweet, and Commander, a 550 pound male who proved to be extremely friendly and well-behaved.
On my last day, I once again joined Dan Dolan for a dive in the aquarium’s signature Giant Ocean Tank — an exhibit so massive that the building was constructed around it. My parents, grandparents, and three little sisters all came into Boston to witness my dive and the feeding of the animals on display. Pressing my hand against theirs through the glass was so meaningful — especially for my grandparents who remember when the aquarium first opened in the 1960s. It was an incredibly fulfilling day that I will never forget, and I can’t thank Dan enough for being such a great dive buddy and mentor.
