Hallowings and things…

In honor of Halloween, the animal encounters at the National Aquarium have been a bit spooky this week!  We have been introducing some of our slithery, slimy, creepy, crawly animals from the rainforest, and teaching visitors that these animals aren’t as scary as we may think..

One of the encounters includes tarantulas. Scared yet? Don’t be. Though these venomous crawlers are generally thought of as a danger to humans, they do not pose the slightest threat. Tarantulas have venom with the potency comparable to a bee, so their venom is generally not toxic to humans. 

What’s the slimiest creature you can think of? A snake? This preconceived notion about snakes is false! These reptiles are not slimy at all; in fact, they are covered with scales. Snakes have small scales on the top of their body and large scales on the bottom. The large scales, called scutes, help them move their legless bodies. The coloration of their scales helps snakes camouflage themselves in various surroundings. They can blend in with leaves, shadows and even rocks! 

What has six legs and teeth in their stomachs? Give up? Cockroaches! These fascinating creatures have existed for about 300 million years and were found even before dinosaurs! Even though we see them as pests, cockroaches actually do a lot for the earth. In the rainforest at the Aquarium they help spread nutrients from trees to the soil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can find out more about these animals and others at the Hallowings and Things encounters everyday at 10:30 a.m. through November 6th! 

We are also running a special special halloween contest on facebook through Monday. Click here to enter the Hallo-Marine AquaFaces contest! Build your creepiest AquaFace for a chance to win tickets to the National Aquarium’s Baltimore venue.

Happy Halloween!

Have you had your jelly fix?

We’ve partnered with Dunkin Donuts so you can See Jelly, and Eat Jelly! It’s one sweet deal. Check it out:

Attention Baltimore: Are you prepared?

Jellies and Dinosaurs are invading Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in a  Waterfront Invasion. Are you prepared? This summer the National Aquarium and Maryland Science Center will have wonderful displays of two very popular prehistoric creatures, each with their own story of invasion…

Though prehistoric, Jellies are still thriving and invading oceans across the world. In fact, in 1990, eight years after the comb jellies first invaded the Black Sea, their biomases totaled about 900 million tons in the sea – that’s more than 10 times the weight of the total annual fish catch from all the world’s oceans.

Pledging to protect Our Ocean Planet

Our Ocean Planet, the new dolphin show at the National Aquarium, comes with an important message: our behaviors affect dolphins and other ocean animals in many ways, both good and bad.  We all have a duty to make sure we are protecting – not hurting – the dolphin’s beautiful ocean world!

Visitors have been learning more about this world and different ways to help save it.  Since dolphins cannot clean up the trash and debris that drift into the oceans, the show encourages humans to get involved in solving this global problem. Take a look at the pledges we have recieved from children to help the dolphins in various ways – all of which you can do at home, too! 

“I recycle.  I clean my house.” — Ravi

“I will move the slime out of the way.” — Jenna Mackenzie

“I will clean water for many fish.” — Eoen

An unchanged world

Of all of the places on earth to visit, The Galapagos Islands have been rated one of the top 7 and the trip is said to be a life-changing experience. With so many beautiful places to visit on earth, what makes these islands so special?

The native species of plants and animals have remained relatively the same since the days of Charles Darwin’s visit in 1835 as the islands are located 600 miles from the mainland. So, in a world that is filled with constant change and the creation of new things, these islands present the rarity of the unchanged.

Visitors are limited to itineraries that are set by the Ecuadorian government. In fact, many areas of the Galapagos National Park are not available for visitation to help manage the impact of people on the ecosystem. And in the areas where visitors can roam, no one is allowed to touch, feed or harass the wildlife.  Before leaving one island and travelling to another, visitors must clean off the soles of their shoes to eliminate the transfer of any plant or animal species from one island to another, as the flora and fauna of each island is unique to that island.

Seem like a lot of rules? Maybe. But it’s these set of rules that make the islands so fascinating. It’s conservation in its truest form. In June, the National Aquarium will embark on an 8 day cruise led by a naturalist and will visit 9 of the 13 main islands of the Galapagos. For more information on how you can join this excursion, click here!