tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62008614095826830732024-03-05T11:15:18.075-05:00Giant Ocean Tank Divers BlogNEAQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096104970335431798noreply@blogger.comBlogger374125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-60187037225900038722016-06-16T11:51:00.004-04:002016-06-16T11:55:26.876-04:00Myrtle Loves Shell ScratchesDid you know our sea turtles get back scratches? Myrtle especially seems to really enjoy a shell scratch. Sometimes the divers rub a shell on her back, other times she finds a way to scratch that itch herself.
Anyone who's clicked around on the internet has likely seen funny videos of little turtles getting their shell scratched by a toothbrush or their keeper's fingernails. In fact, NEAQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096104970335431798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-8364915122275723792016-04-29T14:13:00.000-04:002016-04-29T14:13:12.475-04:00Dispatches from Quincy: Hatching a surpriseThis is a guest post from Shannon Mahoney, an aquarist working in our off-site Animal Care Center in Quincy, Mass. She helps care for animals before they go on exhibit. In this post, she explains how the Quincy team also rears larval fish from eggs laid in the exhibits on Central Wharf.
Every so often we add new fishes to the Giant Ocean Tank and each of them usually has a unique story about howNEAQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096104970335431798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-6522336857375260992016-03-08T14:03:00.002-05:002016-03-08T15:23:02.548-05:00Celebrating National Pig Day, Aquarium-StyleThere's a holiday for everything—pancakes, dragons, and lots and lots of animals. You might think that the Aquarium can't recognize the more terrestrial animals. But you'd be wrong. For National Pig Day, we honored the hogfish and porkfish in the Giant Ocean Tank!
In this video you can spot several types of hogfishes and the porkfish. Hogfishes are in the wrasse family, three species NEAQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096104970335431798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-20760325133887183892016-02-12T11:18:00.003-05:002016-02-12T13:53:03.282-05:00Selfies with Scuba Divers Alfred Kyrollos is a volunteer who gives up most of his Saturdays to come to the Aquarium and help feed and care for the animals in the Giant Ocean Tank. In fact, we couldn't care for an exhibit as large as the GOT without our volunteers! It turns out that he and his fellow volunteers have a lot of fun, too. In this post, Alfred explains how the Saturday Crew is very social—in more ways than one.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-13773250407509346842016-02-06T16:31:00.001-05:002016-02-06T16:31:27.231-05:00Foraging with the GoatfishWe pay a lot of attention to what our 1400+ fish in the Giant Ocean Tank are eating on a daily basis - that's the main job of a GOT diver in fact. We have broadcast feedings and we have target feedings, and some fish just take matters into their own, uh... fins! One fish that finds food on its own is the yellow goatfish, Mulloidichthys martinicus.
Yellow goatfishes uses their pair of chin NEAQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096104970335431798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-81223247991595959102016-01-08T16:20:00.000-05:002016-01-10T10:48:51.302-05:00Even Fish Need P.T.We often say that our animals get the best possible veterinary care. This is the kind of stuff that happens behind the scenes.
Physical therapy for a fish?! My thoughts originally, too.
Well, I have to say that this guy is doing much better after the regimen prescribed by our veterinary staff. It all started when we noticed a curve in the spine of our Atlantic needlefish. The vets examinedNEAQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096104970335431798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-56826205109319894782015-12-25T15:36:00.003-05:002015-12-26T09:01:07.105-05:00Christmas Underwater
Just a few snaps from our day at the Aquarium—without another soul around except for the aquarists, divers and biologists taking care of the animals. Yup, the Aquarium was closed today, but the animals were well cared for by Emily, Daire, Luigi, Glenn, Liliana and Christine.
Emily, Daire, Luigi, Glenn, Liliana, Christine and Keith
Christmas underwater
Photographer Keith Ellenbogen NEAQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096104970335431798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-1601933453567222292015-12-17T09:23:00.000-05:002015-12-18T11:21:24.238-05:00A guest diver brings her cameraSee the turtles in person! Plan a visit to the New England Aquarium. Buy tickets now.
Recently photographer Esther Horvath slipped into the Giant Ocean Tank with her camera to meet our loggerhead sea turtles, Retread and Carolina. Esther has been working on a long-term project documenting sea turtle rescue, which included spending a lot of time with our rescue and rehabilitation team.
SherrieNEAQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096104970335431798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-71913344050744278182015-12-14T12:17:00.000-05:002015-12-15T09:42:07.893-05:00Naptime for Turtles
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a.......turtle?
With the Christmas holiday fast approaching, many families
will be reading Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”.
Even if you aren’t familiar with the poem, the winter solstice is a few days
away, bringing with it the shortest day of the year. WithUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-13071478121136008492015-11-26T14:31:00.001-05:002015-11-26T14:32:00.638-05:00Happy Thanksgiving!HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM THE DIVE TEAM!
Here's a glimpse into a day in the life of Thanksgiving at the Aquarium (we are closed today).
All quiet downtown and walking through the park to the Aquarium
Just signs and sculptures in the main lobby
Food prep like every other day in the 4th floor kitchen
Fish (and turtles) gotta eat
So do the divers - we had a potluck Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-32726691997880003592015-11-24T13:53:00.001-05:002015-11-24T13:53:37.687-05:00Myrtle's Pre-Thanksgiving FeastLike them or not, many families will sit down to a big bowl of Brussels sprouts at their Thanksgiving feast this week. That's a dish right up Myrtle's alley. Brussels sprouts are her favorite vegetable!
Since the Aquarium is closed to visitors this Thursday, we treated the 550-pound green sea turtle to a pre-Thanksgiving feast of a stalk of Brussels sprouts, along with another favorite—squidNEAQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096104970335431798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-58058333763035214952015-11-19T13:04:00.000-05:002015-11-19T14:36:10.952-05:00Curious Little TrunkfishFollowing up on my last post, I wanted to introduce Toby, our smallest trunkfish, who is a very curious little fellow. Toby was very nervous during his first couple weeks in the big Giant Ocean Tank, but is settling in nicely and has gotten comfortable with the mammals in the tank: the divers!
— ChrisUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-62228789825764844382015-11-14T11:18:00.000-05:002015-11-16T11:51:48.052-05:00Meet the BoxfishesOur annual census is right around the corner, so I thought some fish ID would be fun. In this post I want to introduce our boxfishes (family Ostraciidae) which includes 4 species in the Giant Ocean Tank. These guys are unique because of their bony box of armour - you may also see one of these species in the "armoured tank" in the Tropical Gallery on the 1st floor.
In our GOT, our Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-48568946211493364432015-11-04T14:08:00.001-05:002015-11-04T16:24:02.612-05:00Making Connections: No Words Required
Diving in the Giant Ocean Tank with stingrays and sea turtles and eels is a thrill. But sometimes the most memorable moments don't involve animals at all. They involve the captivated individuals on the other side of the glass—so yes, the divers can see you! Sometimes those enchanting connections are felt on both sides of the glass. We were immediately bowled over by this touching moment NEAQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096104970335431798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-46072443768894436882015-09-17T16:12:00.000-04:002015-09-17T16:12:34.142-04:00Myrtle on TV: Outtakes Aquarium fans may have noticed our most famous resident on TV recently. Myrtle's photo shoot happened last spring with photographer Keith Ellenbogen, and she was a willing model because we had some delicious leafy greens to keep her interested. Here are a couple outtakes from that shoot.
So about that lettuce... A lot of people ask about Myrtle's food. What does a 550-pound sea turtle NEAQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096104970335431798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-90708788209204625602015-08-05T15:04:00.000-04:002015-08-05T16:05:33.075-04:00New Arrivals: NeedlefishWe recently added a few new fish to the exhibit, including needlefish. These fish were collected during our spring expedition to the Bahamas and have undergone a routine quarantine in the meantime. But they look spectacular schooling at the surface. Here's the school from our perspective.
Visitors can climb to the top of the Giant Ocean Tank to take a look at these fish, too. It's not NEAQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096104970335431798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-87461552110880210192015-07-18T07:38:00.000-04:002015-07-18T07:38:00.637-04:00Meet the Turtles: Ari the Kemp's RidleyMeet Ari our Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtle. Ari - formerly known as Kate - arrived at the New England Aquarium on 9/9/09, after a rehabilitation stint in New Orleans at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas (AAOA).
In June of 2007, Kate was found injured (suspected boat strike) on Rutherford Beach, Louisiana, and transferred to Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesNEAQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096104970335431798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-56197144228589081042015-07-11T16:36:00.001-04:002015-12-09T16:34:42.038-05:00Hungry Hungry LoggerheadsIn our Giant Ocean Tank we currently have two species of sea turtles — green and loggerheads. Each species gets their own feeding station, and our loggerheads — Carolina and Retread — are fed at the bottom of the tank, in what we GOT divers call "turtle alley". Each morning at 10:00 AM we feed them a specified amount of "squid tacos", our jargon for squid stuffed with fish, usually capelin.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-69211439733822999692015-06-30T10:33:00.000-04:002015-06-30T10:33:49.198-04:00Sea Turtle SiestaYou may see a seemingly lifeless turtle on the bottom of the Giant Ocean Tank during your next visit. You may even wonder if it's alive. Well, I'm here to tell you that it is!
Retread snoozing
Yep, that turtle is just snoozing and, in fact, our sea turtles love a good nap now and then. They all have their favorite spots to rest and some have more than one. They are able to stay Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-64453593988156124762015-05-23T17:39:00.000-04:002015-06-05T13:52:15.849-04:00World Turtle Day 2015Happy World Turtle Day from the Giant Ocean Tank turtle gang!
This green sea turtle needs no introduction. Queen Myrtle of the Giant Ocean Tank.
Carolina, loggerhead sea turtle
Retread, loggerhead sea turtle
Ari the Kemp's ridley sea turtle, hangin' with her bff
And I can't resist showing this picture after that last one. Yes our turtles do have quarrels sometimes.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-3571791679976320062015-03-19T13:49:00.000-04:002015-03-19T13:49:16.375-04:00Smallmouth Grunts and Their Journey to the GOTThe majority of the animals in the Giant Ocean Tank collection come from Aquarium expeditions to the Bahamas. (Certified divers are welcome to join us on these expeditions where we work with Bahamian wildlife officials to sustainably bring back fish.) These animals go through an incredible journey as they travel up from the Bahamas to their new homes in Boston.
Smallmouth grunts school on reefUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-34138205716517887302015-03-17T16:38:00.001-04:002015-06-05T13:52:50.144-04:00Happy St Patrick's Day!Happy St. Patrick's Day from the dive team...
Chris is thinking green thoughts inside the tank.
and from Myrtle the GREEN sea turtle...
Green sea turtle
and from all of our GREEN moray eels!
Green moray
Meet some more green animals around the Aquarium!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-60342654349130291982015-01-27T15:47:00.002-05:002015-01-27T15:47:58.545-05:00Snowy day view from the officeMost people around Boston aren't at the office today. In fact, the Aquarium is closed and most of the employees are safe at home. But there are a few divers in the office today. Who else is going to make sure Myrtle gets her lettuce?! They make arrangements to stay nearby so they're on hand to feed and care for all the animals in the Giant Ocean Tank. All the while, the storm raged outside. NEAQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096104970335431798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-69583791795471282892015-01-16T10:30:00.001-05:002015-06-05T13:53:05.733-04:00How sea turtles are just like usIf you stand at the top of the Giant Ocean Tank for any length of time, you'll likely hear the hiss and huff of a sea turtle taking a breath.
Ari the Kemp's ridley turtle breaks the surface for a breath
Seeing a turtle break the surface to breathe is an interesting way to connect with these giant reptiles. They are the only air breathers inside the exhibit—like us!—so they must return to theNEAQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11096104970335431798noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6200861409582683073.post-3675343662396203782015-01-07T15:03:00.002-05:002015-01-07T15:03:30.068-05:00Identifying ParrotfishesAs you know, we just wrapped up our annual census. Counting all of the animals is surely a challenging task, especially when it comes to the species that have different markings and coloration depending on their age or sex. Parrotfishes—Family Scaridae—are prime examples!
Parrotfishes are categorized into three phases: juvenile, initial and terminal... and some species even display Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0