National Aquarium

Ask Jack about Harbor Wetland! 🌾 🐢 🦆 Drop your questions in the comments below for our general curator, who has been a part of the Aquarium team since 1987. Jack has overseen the process of recreating a salt marsh habitat in the Inner Harbor from our first floating wetland in 2010 to the completion of National Aquarium Harbor Wetland presented by CFG Bank, opening next month!

Sea you later! 👋 🌊 Grey seal Kelpie has been released back to the ocean after several months of care under our experts. Learn more about our Stranding Response Center in Ocean City is helping seals like Kelpie: https://bit.ly/3zZ8u5f

When rescuing and rehabilitating injured or sick sea turtles and seals, several teams join forces to ensure these animals have the best chance of release. From ensuring water temperature and salinity are just right to monitoring food intake to conducting animal exams, each rescued animal receives top-notch care. 🦭 Swipe to see a day in the life of our Animal Rescue team, or learn more: https://bit.ly/4c2Pb9a Thank you to our incredible staff for sharing their videos and photos with our audience!

How do we train animals while giving them the agency to make their own choices? 🐍 Nora Salzberg, assistant animal trainer, walks us through it: “Brutus is one of our ambassador animals who goes on Animal Encounters in the Harbor Overlook. Here, he is demonstrating his agency during various activities, such as programs and play/exploration time. Brutus knows that if he climbs down the stick and into his transport bin, his program or exploration time on his tree ends, and he will go back to his habitat. We work to give our animals as much choice, control, and agency as possible, often through training behaviors like this one, which can help provide the best care possible and ensure that our animals thrive,” Nora says. Learn how our Behavioral Husbandry and Animal Programs teams work together to train animals through enrichment: https://bit.ly/3YdvZ4o Thank you to our incredible staff for sharing their videos and photos with our audience!

As an aquarium, we’re known for our fish, but we also have many feathered friends who call our building home! 🦜 Just like our other residents, the birds here at the Aquarium require mental stimulation, consistent monitoring and engaging routines. Gianni, a blue-headed pionus who hatched at the Aquarium in 2019, “assists” aviculturist Elena with her daily record keeping in the Upland Tropical Rain Forest. Thank you to our incredible staff for sharing their videos and photos with our audience.

Staff takeover? Animal Care Professionals Appreciation Week? We asked our staff to send in their photos and videos to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the ins and outs of working at the Aquarium. Stay tuned for a weeklong takeover, where our staff will show you their work, favorite Aquarium spots and more! 😮 The staff members dedicated to the welfare of the animals at the Aquarium act as researchers, advocates and educators while making sure every animal thrives. Let’s give them a round of applause in the comments! 👏 👏 👏

Can you tell a dolphin from a porpoise? 🐬 One thing that sets these cetaceans apart is the shape of their dorsal fin—porpoises have a more triangular dorsal fin, while dolphins have a hooked dorsal fin. Not only does this fin set dolphins and porpoises apart, but as cetaceans age, the condition of their dorsal fins can even set apart individuals! Learn more: https://bit.ly/4cBdR94

As #PlasticFreeJuly rounds out its third week, we're looking at how our staff and volunteers clean up and maintain Fort McHenry National Monument throughout the year. 🌿 Read more about our work here and other critical habitat around Maryland: https://bit.ly/4f4YYh2

This #TattooDay, we asked staff to share the unique stories behind their nature-inspired ink. 🦀🖋️ Guest Engagement Volunteer Manager Sue Engelbert told us the story behind her blue crab tattoo: "Growing up, my dad used to tell us kids stories of Chester. He was a blue crab that lived under our dock and went on adventures with his animal friends. My love of storytelling started with my dad and Chester. This Chester the Crab tattoo is in loving memory of my dad, who passed away in April 2020. My favorite part of working at the Aquarium is sharing our conservation and animal stories with guests and seeing it light the spark of passion in them like my dad did with me." Artist credit: Rosemary Shackleford IG: @Rosemaryjane This is the first installment of our running tattoo series, inspired by the Seattle Aquarium social series of the same name! Be sure to check back for more ink-credible tattoos.

It's Shark and Ray Awareness Day! Did you know that over 1,200 species of sharks and rays are in our ocean, all of which help shape and manage their respective ecosystems? 🦈 Learn more about how we work with Lady Ray, a reticulated whiptail ray, in our Blacktip Reef Exhibit.