Let’s Make Baltimore the Largest Community Wildlife Habitat along the Chesapeake Bay!

For years, Baltimore has been known as “Birdland” and now, thanks to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the National Aquarium, it’s official. Today, First Lady of Maryland Katie O’Malley joined leaders from NWF, National Aquarium and city officials to launch a program aimed at greening city streets, backyards, schools and places of worship.

First Lady Katie O’Malley speaking about the importance of “greening” Baltimore.

“We believe that your backyard can be a place for exploring and unleashing children’s curiosity,” said Hilary Harp Falk, Regional Executive Director for National Wildlife Federation.  “Baltimore has always been a city for the birds, and we intend to work with partners in the City to create beautiful places which will offer opportunities to learn, connect and play.”

By greening the city for birds, butterflies and other wildlife, residents of Baltimore will also help to improve both air and water quality for humans. The more native plantings that are used to attract wildlife, the greater potential the city has of reaching its Healthy Harbor goals and helping to clean the Chesapeake Bay.

“As a conservation organization it is our goal to inspire people to do their part, starting here in our backyard of Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay,” said John Racanelli, National Aquarium CEO. “We are dedicated to a Healthy Harbor and we believe that can happen if we all get involved in the greening of our city.”

Did you know? Our Waterfront park is a certified wildlife habitat!

Community Wildlife Habitat certification will bring many organizations and individuals together to work on a common vision, and, when successful, Baltimore will achieve certification for more than 600 homes, 10 parks, and 6 schools and be recognized as one of the 60+ Community Wildlife Habitats nationwide!

In celebration of the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife month in May, people across the country – from bird watchers to butterfly lovers – are joining the residents of Baltimore in transforming their gardens into havens for wildlife.  The National Wildlife Federation has also pledged to plant a tree for every Certified Wildlife Habitat during the month of May to honor its garden supporters! 

Animal Updates – May 17

Between our Baltimore and Washington, DC, venues, more than 17,500 animals representing 900 species call the National Aquarium home. There are constant changes, additions, and more going on behind the scenes that our guests may not notice during their visit. We want to share these fun updates with our community so we’re bringing them to you in our weekly Animal Update posts!

Check our blog every Friday to find out what’s going on… here’s what’s new this week!

Peacock Mantis Shrimp

We have a peacock mantis shrimp on exhibit!

This colorful Indo-Pacific crustacean may look harmless, but it can pack a fatal punch. Also known as “sea locusts,” these marine crustaceans can grow to be up to a foot in length. While most crustaceans are opportunistic feeders, the mantis shrimp will actively hunt its prey.

 Here are 10 AWESOME facts about the mantis shrimp: 

1. They have 16, count ‘em 16, color receptive rods in each eye, which allows them to see circularly polarized light.
2. The mantis shrimp has two club-shaped appendages that it punches out with (at an estimated speed of up to 50 mph) to break into hard-shelled mollusks.
3. They have the fastest recorded “punch” of any living animal – it’s faster than a .22-caliber bullet.
4. In fact, they move so fast that the water surrounding their appendages will boil in a process known as supercavitation.
5. Using its appendages, the mantis shrimp can break through glass without causing any harm to itself.
6. They can punch out at maximum force approximately 50,000 times between molts without causing any bodily harm.
7. Engineers are studying mantis shrimp exoskeletons to hopefully build more effective armor for soldiers and protect athletes from concussions, among other uses.
8. Watch a mantis shrimp break through glass to attack live prey.
9. Some mantis shrimp mate for life – according to the BBC, one pair was observed staying together for over 20 years.
10. We can trace the evolutionary lineage of mantis shrimp back 500 million years.

Be sure to check back every Friday to find out what’s happening!

Endangered Species Day!

Today is Endangered Species Day (ESD), a day established to raise awareness of the issues – both human and ecological – that face endangered species and their habitats. Here at the National Aquarium, our mission is to inspire conservation of the world’s aquatic treasures. We hope that by connecting with guests and our online community, others will be inspired to join us in protecting our disappearing wildlife.

Threats such as habitat loss, climate change and species exploitation have seriously degraded once richly bio-diverse ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef and Amazon Rain Forest.

In the United States, more than 1,300 species of plants and animals are listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as either threatened or endangered – and an estimated 500 species have gone extinct since the 1600s.

Here in the National Aquarium, we represent 16 species that are threatened or endangered, including the following two species, which can be found in our Upland Tropical Rain Forest exhibit:

Panamanian Golden Frog
Critically endangered

Considered by locals to be a symbol of good fortune and luck, this species has seemingly run out of both.

Once abundantly found in the tropical forests of Panama, the golden frog is now considered extinct in the wild. An infectious disease affecting amphibians, chytridiomycosis, has virtually wiped out the frogs in Panama (and an estimated one-third of amphibian species worldwide). Additionally, deforestation and collection for the pet trade have also contributed to the decline of Panamanian golden frogs.

Zoos and Aquariums throughout North America have been participating in breeding programs to try and reintroduce these animals into their native habitat.

Golden Lion Tamarin
Endangered

Native to the coastal rain forests of Brazil, there were fewer than 200 golden lion tamarins reported in the wild in 1970.

Habitat loss and fragmentation, capture for the pet trade and hunting have caused a serious decline of populations of these animals. Although many of these threats have been reduced, the number of golden lion tamarins is still low with limited possibilities for growth due to their restricted range.

Currently, only about 1,500 golden lion tamarins can be found in the wild. Approximately 30 percent of those animals were either relocated from depleted areas or released as part of a reintroduction program. The tamarins at the Aquarium are part of a group managed by the Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Program, headquartered at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. This group oversees the management of both the wild population of golden lion tamarins in Brazil and the captive population worldwide.

Here are a few things YOU can do to help protect endangered species:

• Learn more about the endangered species of plants and animals found in your area.
• Transform your backyard into a certified habitat for native wildlife!
• Volunteer at a local conservation and/or habitat restoration project. Click here to check out the National Aquarium’s conservation events!
• Do not purchase items made from endangered species.

Want to learn more about endangered species? Join the conversation on Twitter by following @NatlAquarium and using #ESDay!

Endangered Species Week: The Bog Turtle

Endangered Species Day, celebrated on May 17th, was established to raise awareness of the issues (both human-related and ecological) facing endangered species and their habitats. 

To help further amplify this day, we’ll be highlighting some endangered species that can be found in our home state of Maryland, at the National Aquarium and around the world! Our hope is that as this week progresses, others will feel inspired to help us protect these amazing animals! 

Meet the Bog Turtle.

The bog turtle is the smallest species of turtle found in the United States (and one of the smallest species of turtle in the world)! Easy identified by the orange blotches found on either side of its head, this turtle gets its name from the areas of moist, soggy ground within wetlands known as “bogs.”

Bog turtles are only commonly found throughout the Northeast coast and, unfortunately, populations have been seriously impacted by the effects of climate change. Erratic weather patterns, in particular, throw a wrench in the fragile balance between these turtles and their habitat. Other major factors for their population decline include habitat loss, due to human construction and development, as well as a high demand for the pet trade.

This species was granted protection under the Endangered Species Act in 1997 – at which time, the northern population of bog turtles (from New York to Maryland) had declined by 50 percent.

Currently, the total number of bog turtles found in the United States is unknown. The estimated range is only between 2,500 and 10,000 turtles.

Want to help the bog turtle? Join us at our next habitat restoration event!

Stay tuned for more Endangered Species Week features! 

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!