Extreme Makeover: Aquarium Edition

Did you know that there is an aquarium in Washington, DC? And that it is the oldest aquarium in the nation?

Thanks to a partnership with the National Aquarium in Baltimore that included a five-year renovation effort to improve habitat conditions, animal care, and the facility’s appearance, the National Aquarium in Washington DC has been given a fresh face! Serving visitors since 1931 from the lower level of the Department of Commerce building, the newly refurbished National Aquarium debuts as home to “America’s Aquatic Treasures,” with over 200 species including shark, eel, gators, the invasive snakehead fish, and a new adorable baby loggerhead turtle!

The National Aquarium in Washington DC is a well-spent 45-minute tour, particularly if you’re looking for a cool, underwater experience and a respite from DC’s oppressive summer heat! Click here for details!

 

You gotta feel it!

The Aquarium’s 2008 advertising campaign, More Fun in Every Sense, is in full swing! The televistion commercial, played to the tune of ”You Gotta Feel It” by American Indie band Spoon, is the first high definition spot produced by the Aquarium. Check it out:

More Fun in Every Sense interprets expressions of humor, happiness, suspense, surprise and even awe using actual aquatic and land creatures that can be found in the Aquarium to create nearly a dozen human faces that mimic these emotions. Keep an eye out for the commercial and be sure to explore your senses at the National Aquarium this year!

 

Blue flags wave in Waterfront Park

This week at the Aquarium, plant-loving visitors can enjoy a flower called a blue flag. A member of the iris family, this flower is unusual for its beautiful blue color (it is not a natural color typically found in flowers). 

Because the blue flag can tolerate sun to part sun and moist to wet soils, it can be found along fresh to moderately brackish tidal marshes, meadows, swamps, forest wetlands, and in the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Waterfront Park (an outdoor Aquarium exhibit that is free an open to the general public). The park is a great spot to relax in the bustling harbor, and has nearly 70 other species of native plants among the landscaping and 120,000 custom-made recycled pavers.

 

In full bloom!

The Amazon River Forest exhibit is in full bloom this spring! In addition to seeing an amazing collection of animals, visitors to the Aquarium can also learn about beautiful plants and flowers that are found in various habitats.  

One of the most recognizable flowers right now is the Aristolochia gigantea, or Dutchman’s pipe. These odd flowers are 6-8 inches across with a mottled maroon and white coloration. They are designed to attract flies by mimicking rotting flesh in scent and appearance (ew!). Flies that enter the hole at the center of the flower are trapped temporarily inside a chamber, where they inadvertently act as pollinators. Special hairs in the tube leading to the chamber allow the insects to enter, but make exiting much more difficult!

 

A new bird joins the flock

Staff members in the Upland Tropical Rain Forest welcomed a new scarlet ibis to their collection of birds earlier this week. This beautiful South American bird came to the National Aquarium from the National Zoo in Washington, DC.

The scarlet ibis is hard to miss! Adults are bright red or scarlet, with somewhat lighter shading on the head, neck, and underparts. The long legs of this wading bird are pink, and the toes are partially webbed. They use their long, curved, pinkish-brown bill to probe the mudflats, shallow water, and grasses in search of food.