Explore Maya’s World

A few weeks ago we took you into the world of Nani, our oldest dolphin. This week we’d like to take you into the world of one of our younger dolphins, Maya!

Maya is known as the “princess” of the pool. She is a girly-girl and loves shiny objects. She is just 8 years old, but one of the stars of the new dolphin show, Our Ocean Planet. She has incredible athletic ability, which she loves to show off during shows. You may catch a glimpse of her abilities on TV in one of the Aquarium’s new commericials:

Maya was born at the National Aquarium in 2001 and is the daughter of Shiloh, who also lives at the Aquarium. Weighing 380 pounds, she eats about 21 pounds of fish a day! When she is not performing, Maya is typically playing with Spirit, another 8 year old dolphin, and looking for attention from the trainers.

You can catch Maya in action during Our Ocean Planet, shows now running daily at the Aquarium. Join us for the grand opening April 4 & 5 and enjoy special dolphin activities and giveaways!

Turn Out, Take Action

World Wildlife Fund is asking the world to go dark.

 

To make a global statement of concern about climate change, World Wilflife Fund is inviting people and organizations from every nation to turn off any non-essential lighting for one hour – Earth Hour.

 

Inspired by the city of Baltimore, the National Aquarium will participate in Earth Hour 2009 by turning off our lights on Saturday, March 28 between 8:30 and 9:30pm. Of course, safety comes first so emergency lights will be lit but the Aquarium’s major exhibits, lobbies, ticket center, shops, and all outside lights on the pier will go dark.

 

As a major attraction that lights up Baltimore’s sky line, the Aquarium has become an important landmark on the Inner Harbor. It’s a very intricate building that is home to over 16,000 animals, and so turning off the lights off is no easy feat. But we are dedicated to showing our concern and respect for our beautiful planet.

 

You can do your part at home as well! Join the Aquarium and turn off your lights from this Saturday, March 28 between 8:30and 9:30pm. And be sure to tell your family, friends, neighbors! Click here to sign up and to learn more about Earth Hour. And please tell us how you plan to participate!

 

“One person committed to reducing energy consumption can make a difference, but millions working together can change the world.” 

Spring cleaning and greening

Spring is here! Flowers are in bloom, grass is getting greener, and the water warming- but is it getting cleaner?

As stated the EPA’s annual Chesapeake Bay report, the Bay Barometer, despite small successes in certain parts of the ecosystem and specific geographic areas, the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay did not improve in 2008. The Bay continues to have poor water quality, degraded habitats and low populations of many species of fish and shellfish. Based on these three areas, the overall health averaged 38 percent, with 100 percent representing a fully restored ecosystem.

As we hear all of the time, one of the greatest challenges to restoration is continued population growth and development, which destroys forests, wetlands and other natural areas. The impact of human activity is overwhelming nature and offsetting cleanup efforts.

Almost 17 million people live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The actions that residents take everyday affect nature and impact the health of local creeks, streams and rivers, and ultimately the Bay. As you set off to enjoy the season and the outdoors,  remember what you can be doing to help protect our waters and the animals that inhabit them:

• Pick up after your pet
• Use phosphorus-free dish detergent
• Volunteer for a watershed group (like the National Aquarium)
• Drive your car less
• Don’t fertilize your lawn
• Plant native trees and shrubs
• Install a rain barrel and rain garden

Explore Nani’s world

The National Aquarium is home to a dynamic group of 10 healthy Atlantic bottlenose dolphins ranging from six months to 37 years. If you follow our blog, you know that the trainers and dolphins are currently preparing for the opening of our new dolphin show, that will explore the power, beauty, and grace of a dolphin’s world. Let’s a take a closer look into the world of Nani.

Nani is 37 years old, making her the oldest dolphin at the National Aquarium, and the most dominant. She came to the National Aquarium in 1990, when the Lyn P. Meyerhoff Amphitheater opened to the public.  Nani has given birth to six calves in her lifetime. Two of her calves live at the Aquarium, Spirit and Beau, and she is very protective of the both of them. 

Nani, meaning “beautiful” in Hawaiian, weighs approximately 500 pounds and is also the largest dolphin of the group. She currently eats about 25 pounds of fish a day! And with the trainers she is like a big huggable teddy bear in the water.

You can see Nani perform in our new dolphin show, Our Ocean Planet.  We invite you to join us on March 28 or 29 for a special preview of the new show. Visitors to the Aquarium on those days will have an opportunity to register on-site to win a Dolphin Encounter, for the chance to get up-close and personal our dolphins! We hope to see you there!

For the love of dolphins

The marine mammal trainers were excited to welcome world figure skating champion, Kimmie Meissner, to the Aquarium yesterday! A Maryland native and a huge fan of the Aquarium, Kimmie volunteered her time to be a part of the new dolphin show video. Yesterday she spent time learning what it takes to become a dolphin trainer, and got up close and personal with some of the Aquarium’s dolphins.

As a child Kimmie loved visiting the Aquarium and she still has a strong love for animals. At one point she thought about becoming a marine biologist, but has decided to major in exercise science at the University of Delaware. 

 She is very excited about the new show and the message it sends to young people who are fascinated by dolphins!