Ever wonder how we make our enrichment ice toys for our marine mammals? Well here is a recipe for Northern fur seal and harbor seal ice toys!
Ingredients:
1 Herring
2 Capelin
1 Squid
1 Mold
Water
Directions:
1) Cut herring into strips
2) Place herring, 2 capelin and 1 squid into mold
3) Fill mold with water
4) Place mold in freezer for 2-3 hours
5) Remove ice toy from mold by running it under luke-warm water
6) Ice toy removed from mold
7) Deliver ice toys to marine mammals
8) Watch them enjoy their ice toy treat!
Come learn more about ice toy enrichment during Marine Mammal Mania (April 13-15 Northern fur seals and April 20-22, harbor seals). There will be an ice toy demonstration each day at 1pm at our Northern fur seal exhibit!
Male Northern fur seals can weigh 5-6 times as much as their female counterparts! A female may only gain and lose 10-20 pounds throughout the year, while adult males can gain and lose over 250 pounds in one year! During the early summer, Northern fur seals return to islands in the North Pacific to breed. Males come ashore to defend territories with the largest and strongest males attracting the most females into their harem. For more interesting facts about our Northern fur seals, go to seattleaquarium.org/fur-seals.
Can you guess how much Commander weighs? Place your guess here and visit us April 13-15 for Marine Mammal Mania! Commander will be weighed at 11:30am each day. Come see if you guessed correctly and for more information about the hands-on activities, special talks and demonstration during Marine Mammal Mania, go to seattleaquarium.org/marine-mammal-mania!
Many adult marine mammals gain and lose weight throughout the year depending on the water temperature, food availability and behavioral changes associated with breeding seasons. Here at the Seattle Aquarium we weigh our marine mammals at least twice a month in order to monitor their health. Unlike other marine mammals, sea otters do not have an insulating layer of blubber and instead rely on their dense fur and high metabolism to keep warm. Sea otter fur is the densest of any animal on earth with an average of 500,000 hairs per square inch. They live in water that ranges in temperature from 35-60°F, so in order to keep their body temperature at approximately 100°F, a sea otter needs to east approximately 25% of its body weight each day! For more interesting facts about our sea otter, go to seattleaquarium.org/sea-otters.
Can you guess how much Lootas weighs? Place your guess here and visit us April 6-8 for Marine Mammal Mania! Lootas will be weighed at 11:30am each day. Come see if you guessed correctly and for more information about the hands-on activities, special talks and demonstration during Marine Mammal Mania, go to seattleaquarium.org/marine-mammal-mania!
James L. Bodkin leads the sea otter and coastal marine ecosystems project for the USGS Alaska Science Center. He has spent more than 30 years studying sea otters from California to Russia and has published more than 160 papers resulting from his research. In 1989, he was one of the first biologists to rescue sea otters and other oiled marine life in the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. Shortly after, he accepted the position of project leader for sea otter research in Alaska as a research scientist with the Alaska Science Center, now in the US Geological Survey. His research focuses on factors that influence the nearshore marine ecosystems. Thirty-five years of work in marine science has led to his most recent and ambitious research, the Pacific Nearshore Project, designed to improve our understanding of the relative influences of oceans and watersheds on nearshore ecosystems. Mr. Bodkin is leading a diverse team of scientists using cutting-edge technology along with traditional observational tools. He is currently based at the USGS Marrowstone Point Research Station in Puget Sound.
The video above, is a preview of our next Sound Conversations session with Jeff Renner and James Bodkin. Come join us on April 5, 2012 and learn about “What Can Sea Otters Tell Us About The Ocean?” Tickets are $10 and available online at seattleaquarium.org/Sound-Conversations. We hope to see you there!
Earlier this month the Seattle Aquarium was pleased to host 15 leading sea otter scientists to assess three years of Pacific Coast field research regarding sea otter population trends – part of the largest single study of sea otter populations and their environments ever attempted. The project is led by James L. Bodkin, who recently received the Seattle Aquarium Research Award.
The group of ecologists, marine biologists, veterinarians, geologists, hydrologists and statisticians met to refine plans for further data analysis and collaboration to develop major findings and implications for sea otter survival and public policy. The data is expected to provide the basis for many years of further analytical effort.
The Seattle Aquarium has focused actively on sea otters in its collection, exhibitry, education programs and research since opening in 1977. Seattle Aquarium Curator of Conservation Research Shawn Larson, Ph.D., is a member of the Bodkin research team; Director of Life Sciences ; C.J. Casson maintains the Sea Otter Studbook for the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums, (AZA); and Curator of Mammals and Birds Traci Belting serves on the board of International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association (IMATA). We are currently expanding our sea otter educational/interpretive messaging and bringing greater focus to our important research. We recently installed interpretive panels providing, for the first time, a comprehensive explanation of the Aquarium’s sea otter programs and their importance to sea otters in the wild. We invite you to take a look during your next visit!
Seattle Aquarium Sea Otter Conservation Program
Throughout our 35-year history, we have focused on sea otter research, husbandry and education. Among our achievements are to be the first aquarium in the world to have a sea otter conceived and born in captivity – and subsequently live to adulthood. We recently consolidated efforts to form an official Sea Otter Conservation Program.
Research: Our research efforts increase our knowledge of the animals we exhibit, contribute to conservation efforts in the wild, support public interest in research, and encourage young people to learn. We are involved in four sea otter research studies focused on; an annual census, population genetics, ecology and endocrinology.
Husbandry: Under the direction of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Seattle Aquarium created and maintains the North American Sea Otter Studbook, which documents the pedigree and entire demographic history of each sea otter exhibited in zoos and aquariums throughout North America.
Education: Sea otter-themed lesson plans are used for camps held at the Seattle Aquarium, as well as lessons that take place within our facility and in school classrooms.
Retail: In support of our efforts our gift store is presenting many Sea Otter Conservation products.
Come visit our sea otters at the Aquarium and learn more about the Sea Otter Conservation Program!
Ever wonder how we make our enrichment ice toys for our marine mammals? Well here is a recipe for Northern fur seal and harbor seal ice toys!
