New shark pups!

Baby swell sharks have begun to hatch at the National Aquarium in DC. This year the aquarists were watching over six fertilized eggs, and three have hatched this summer. The fourth and fifth are expected shortly, and the sixth still has a few months of gestation.

The picture to the right shows the latest three in their isolation basket. The swell shark is so-named because it pumps water into its stomach, causing its body to swell up. It is nocturnal, and grows to approximately three feet.

Be sure to visit www.nationalaquarium.com to learn more about all of the fascinating creatures living at the National Aquarium in DC!

Michael Phelps vs. Dolphins: Who wins the gold?

From Beth Manning and Justin Garner, dolphin trainers at the National Aquarium

There has been a lot of media coverage suggesting that Michael Phelps swims like a dolphin. So much so that even us trainers have gotten in on the action – reminding Phelps that dolphins are still the fastest swimmers in Baltimore. So the question arises, how fast is Michael Phelps compared to a dolphin?

Most popular literature quotes dolphins as having top speeds of 20-25 mph, though up to 16 mph is more likely. The higher speeds have been recorded when bow riding,  when their speed is most likely facilitated by being pushed along in front of a boat cutting through water. More typical speeds recorded in both wild dolphins and in aquaria and zoos indicate sprints peak at 18 mph, with a cruising speed of 6.21 mph.

Top swimming athletes are said to average 5.25 mph. But in the case of Phelps, let’s round up to 6 mph. So is it a photo finish? Does Phelps get “touched out”? It seems so. Phelps top speed only approaches the cruising speed of a bottlenose dolphin, and is nowhere near the maximum velocity. In addition, when cruising at top speeds, dolphins will often leap their full body out of the water as they take a quick breath, and still maintain their pace. Let’s see you try that Phelps!!

Faster than Phelps?

The National Aquarium has prepared a short video congratulations message for Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff!

Do you think Michael Phelps could beat our dolphins in a race?

MARP to the rescue!

On July 27 our Marine Animal Rescue Program team took in a stranded female loggerhead sea turtle found near the inlet in Ocean City, Maryland by the Coast Guard. The turtle was observed floating near a rock jetty – in the surf headed for the rocks. The Coast Guard retrieved the turtle after noticing signs of exhaustion and failed attempts to swim away. She was transported to the Aquarium’s hospital pool in Baltimore later then evening.

Upon arrival she weighed 57 lbs, which is about 10-15 lbs under normal weight. The most interesting observation of the turtle was that she was covered in all kinds of epibionts (mussels, barnacles, algae, crabs, worms, etc.) upon retrieval, as you can see in the before and after pictures. The rescue team removed about 10 lbs of epibionts from the poor turtle. She also had many embedded barnacles on the carapace, plastron, limbs and head and has suffered superficial scale loss on all limbs.

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Harbor Trash Wheel Makes a Difference

After a recent rainstorm, many of you (like us) may have noticed a mound of trash collecting in the canal next to Pier Six in the harbor. So, where’s all this trash coming from? Storm water flushes litter into Jones Falls River and eventually finds it’s way into the harbor and around the Aquarium.

Luckily, this trash was prevented from flowing into the Inner Harbor thanks to a unique trash collecting device. The solar-powered Water Wheel Powered Trash Inceptor, installed in February, has been known to collect up to seven tons of trash after just one storm.

Let’s Make a Change
What happens upriver affects the water and habitats downstream and onward to the sea. The simplest thing we can do is to dispose of trash properly. Better yet, reduce, reuse, recycle. Be an inspiration and pledge to make a difference. Share with us your stories.

By Tracy McCreary and Jonathan Sullivan