Happy Birthday, Maya!

National Aquarium is celebrating a very special birthday today! Born at the Aquarium on May 13, 2001, Maya, one of our female dolphins, is 12 years old today!

About Maya

Gender: Female

Weight: 420 pounds

To stay healthy and happy, Maya and our other dolphins are fed a quality diet of fresh fish and given routine vitamins!

Family Tree: Daughter of Shiloh (dam) and Nalu (sire)

Maya as a calf!

How to Recognize Her: Maya is lighter in color, with a light-tipped rostrum and a very pink belly!

Trainer’s Note: Maya likes to spend a lot of her time with her half-sister Chesapeake and is very playful. She loves to show off her “fast-surfing behavior” for both the trainers and our guests!

Stop by today to see Maya play around with her sister Chesapeake! Can’t come wish her a happy birthday in person? Leave Maya a message on our Facebook page! 

Happy Birthday, Spirit!

National Aquarium is celebrating a very special birthday today! Spirit, one of our female dolphins, born at the Aquarium on April 13, 2001, is 12 years old today!

About Spirit

Gender: Female

YUM! Spirit eats about 20.5 pounds of fish every day!

Weight: 380 pounds

Family Tree: Daughter of Nani (dam) and Nalu (sire)

Guests can often see Spirit playing with her mom, Nani, and friend, Jade!

How to Recognize Her: Spirit’s eyes are larger and darker in color. You can also recognize her by her crooked teeth in the lower right side of rostrum.

Trainer’s Note: Spirit is very playful and loves learning new behaviors. She is currently starting to practice a new move called a “fluke fling”!

Stop by today to see Spirit practice her new fluke move! Can’t come wish Spirit a Happy Birthday in person this weekend? Leave her a message on our Facebook page! 

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!