Baltimore without the orioles?

Scientists have recorded a major shift in the ranges of many bird species that they attribute to global warming. Recent studies suggest that by the year 2100, there will no longer be oriole birds in Maryland.

Increases in temperature affect when and how birds perform certain behaviors. Many bird species use changes in weather as cues to migrate or nest; so as our region steadily gets warmer, birds begin to fly north or mate earlier in the year than they used to. Depending on the adaptability of the species, these behaviors may fall out of sync with the availability of food sources, which could lead to drastic population declines.

Global warming is also partly responsible for the rise in our sea level because of melting glaciers and polar ice caps. In the Chesapeake Bay area alone, the water level could rise 19 inches over the next 90 years, flooding small islands, threatening essential coastal habitat, and putting migratory waterfowl (like ducks) and shorebirds (like herons) at risk.

The good news is that there are things we can all do to slow down the effects of global warming and protect our natural resources. Visit aqua.org to learn how, or join us at the Aquarium on May 10, 2008 to help celebrate International Migratory Bird Day.

 

Happy Earth Day!

Green Tip #1: On this Earth Day, consider choosing a more fuel efficient vehicle. 
You can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only three miles a gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid (like the one the Aquarium raffled off at its Green Gala!).

If you’re not in the market for a new car, you can still do your part! Keep your car tuned up
 – regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just one percent of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere. Check your tires weekly to make sure they’re properly inflated, because 
it can improve gas mileage by more than three percent. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference!

Another nautilus!

Another chambered nautilus has been added to the Sensing exhibit, located in the Surviving through Adaptation gallery on level 3. The nautilus is related to the octopus, clam, and squid, which, like the octopus, are all cephalopods (which means “head-foot”).

The nautilus is the only cephalapod with a fully developed shell for protection. It has poor vision, and more than 90 tentacles which do not have suckers. Their tentacles grip prey and deliver it to its crushing, parrot-like beak. The chambered nautilus at the Aquarium is fed crab, shrimp, and fish. A newly hatched nautilus is about the size of a quarter. 

Visit aqua.org to see video of the Aquarium’s nautilus.

Special delivery: stingray pups born!

Southern stingray pups are born in the Wings in the Water exhibit on a regular basis. Our divers quickly catch the newborns and move them to a behind-the- scenes area so they don’t end up as food for the larger rays. These juveniles are shipped to other accredited institutions around the country. 

Southern stingrays have a gestation period of about six months. The eggs hatch within the mother’s body, and the pups, up to ten in a litter, average 9.5 inches across at birth and their “wings” are curled up – like crepes.