Thoughtful Thursdays: Loggerhead Head Start Program

As part of our Amazing Experiences Sweepstakes, National Aquarium in Washington, DC is giving one lucky winner the opportunity to name and have a behind-the-scenes “meet and greet” with our newest baby loggerhead turtle, arriving this month!

Enter to Win Now!

In order to help save these magnificent sea turtles from extinction, National Aquarium participates in the Loggerhead Head Start Program, run by the North Carolina Aquarium in Pine Knoll, that gives these baby sea turtles a better chance at survival in the wild.

Sea turtle hatchlings found stranded far from the ocean, spend time in aquariums where they can safely grow. After being given a clean bill of health and an extra boost of nutrition, they are tagged and released back to the ocean!

Baby loggerheads, like this one, spend their time exploring our Gray’s Reef exhibit before being released into the wild!

Sea turtles have a challenging life. Most weighing just 20 grams at birth, they face many natural predators both on the sandy beaches where they hatch and in the oceans where they dwell. Because of their low survival rate, they have been classified as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

After a two years of growth, National Aquarium staff returns them to North Carolina for release. Eventually, these turtles could weigh up to 200 pounds!

So – Want a chance to meet our newest turtle? 

There are five great ways to be entered to win! 

• Purchase any full price ticket online for a December visit
• Make a donation of $25 or more
• Purchase or renew your membership online
• Buy a gift ticket online
• Adopt an Animal

Click here to find out all the details about our Amazing Experiences Sweepstakes!

Stay tuned for more features on our once-in-a-lifetime sweepstakes prizes! Winners will be announced on our Facebook page starting December 17!

Amazing Experiences Sweepstakes – Be the FIRST to See Blacktip Reef and Meet the Animals!

One lucky winner of our Amazing Experiences Sweepstakes will get a behind-the-scenes, “hard hat” tour of our new Blacktip Reef exhibit BEFORE it opens to the public this summer!

ENTER OUR SWEEPSTAKES NOW!

Blacktip Reef will be a vibrant, action-packed exhibit, replicating an Indo-Pacific coral reef!

In preparation for this exciting new addition to our Baltimore venue, we have been caring for new blacktip reef sharks and wobbegong sharks, in addition to our beloved 400 lb. sea turtle Calypso and zebra sharks Zeke and Zoe! Our new exhibit will also be home to a multitude of tropical fish and rays.

This vibrant Napoleon wrasse is just one of the many new fish in Blacktip Reef!

As part of our sweepstakes, one lucky winner (and up to three friends) will receive a “hard hat” tour of the exhibit space, as well as a behind-the-scenes tour of our Animal Care Center to meet some of the new animals!

In addition, our winner will also get to see how our salt water is made and tested and visit our coral fabrication shop, where we are currently creating pieces for Blacktip Reef.

Behind-the-scenes testing coral

There are five great ways to be entered to win! 

• Purchase any full price ticket online for a December visit
  
• Make a donation of $25 or more
• Purchase or renew your membership online
• Buy a gift ticket online
• Adopt an Animal

Click here to find out all the details about our Amazing Experiences Sweepstakes!

Stay tuned for more features on our once-in-a-lifetime sweepstakes prizes! Winners will be announced on our Facebook page starting December 17!

Blacktip Reef Update: Meet the Animals!

We cannot wait for our new exhibit, Blacktip Reef, to open in summer of 2013! This coral-filled exhibit, replicating an Indo-Pacific ocean habitat, will feature 15 exciting species including blacktip reef sharks, reticulated whiptail rays, and ornate wobbegong sharks. It will also be the new home for some of our most beloved animals, including our 400-pound green sea turtle Calypso, and zebra sharks Zeke and Zoe. Guests will be able to experience this lively reef from many vantage points, including a new floor-to-ceiling pop-out viewing window that allows you to virtually step inside the exhibit.

It’s a long journey to opening day. Between animal transports, exhibit demolition, new construction, and habitat fabrication, as well as the acquisition of new animals, we’ll have a lot to update you on leading up to next summer. As we continue to build the future home of Blacktip Reef, stay tuned to learn about new changes here on our WATERblog!

Our teams have been busy all over the Aquarium preparing for Blacktip Reef! Animal care is our number one priority, so one of the biggest jobs is caring for the animals that will soon be added to the new exhibit.

Beginning in summer 2013, guests will be able to  see new animals like blacktip reef sharks, reticulated whiptail rays, ornate wobbegong sharks and napoleon wrasse!

Napoleon wrasse

The namesake animal of the new exhibit, the blacktip reef shark, is a smaller shark species that can grow to about 6 feet in length and bears distinctive black tips on its fins. Blacktip reef sharks are found in the shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific, hanging around reefs to feed. These sharks are sleek, beautiful, fast-moving, and hunt cooperatively in groups.

Blacktip reef shark

These facinating new species will be joined by some of National Aquarium’s most beloved animals, including Calypso, our 400-pound green sea turtle, and zebra sharks Zeke and Zoe!

Calypso

Watch this video to learn more about the amazing animals that will be living in Blacktip Reef: 

Below are some of the other amazing species that will be joining our Blacktip Reef family!

• Blotched fantail ray (Taeniurops)
• Blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus)
• Bluefin trevally (Caranx melampygus)
• Bluestripe seaperch (Lutjanus kasmira)
• Clown triggerfish (Balistoides conspicillum)
• Emperor angelfish (Pomacanthus imperator)
• Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas))
• Reticulate whipray (Himantura uarnak)
• Napoleon wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus)
• Ornate wobbegong (Orectolobus ornatus)
• Tasselled wobbegong (Eucrossorhinus dasypogon)
• Potato cod (Epinephelus tukula)
• Semicircle angelfish (Pomacanthus semicirculatus)
• Spotted unicornfish (Naso brevirostris)
• Zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum)

Stay tuned for more Blacktip Reef updates!