The rescued sea lions at the Aquarium are a curious and energetic pair. So the trainers are always finding new ways to engage and stimulate Zoe and Sierra. When St. Patrick's day rolled around, they found the perfect activity: fun with green-shamrock-shaped jello!
The jello was made by our stellar volunteers out of plain gelatin and a plant-based food supplement called spirulina (people eat this, too). Of course we don't know if the sea lions liked the flavor, but they did show lots of interest in this activity! Here's a look at the fun.
Patty slapped some of the shamrock-shaped gelatin pieces
on to the glass wall for the sea lions to find.
Visitors and fur seals alike were curious about the activity.
But the fur seals were decidedly "meh" about the jello.
The sea lions, however, got right in there to explore!
There was lots of sniffing and chewing and tossing and biting of the gelatin.
Once you know which species you're looking at, the next way to narrow it down is by size. Some of our animals are still growing, so this will change as they get older.
Let's start with the Northern fur seals. Currently, from largest to smallest, there's Commander, followed by Ursula, Chiidax and finally Kitovi. Adult males can grow up to 600 pounds! This is why Commander is the largest. He is currently our only adult male. In comparison, adult females, like Ursula, reach only 100–120 pounds when full grown. Chiidax turned 2 years old this year. It won't be long before he's bigger than the adult females. Because of this, size is not the only way to tell our animals apart.
Our two California sea lions, Zoe and Sierra, are both smaller than Commander, but larger than all the rest of the fur seals. Female California sea lions average around 250 pounds when full grown. At 5 years old, Sierra and Zoe are young adults just under 200 pounds.
Step three: Individual characteristics
The last way to narrow down who's who, is by a few distinguishing characteristics. It can take some time to pick up on differences. Here are a few that the training staff has picked out:
Commander
In addition to being the largest on exhibit, he has longer hair on the back on his neck.
Ursula
Ursula has a light patch of fur on her chest, and medium length whiskers.
Chiidax vs. Kitovi
These are our two smallest fur seals. They both have black whiskers and lighter patches of fur on the chest and cheeks.
Chiidax has longer ears that stick way out. He is stocky and little larger than Kitovi.
Kitovi is more petite and sleek looking.
Sierra vs. Zoe
These two may be the most challenging to tell apart, even for their trainers. They are the same age and look very similar physically.
Zoe is currently the heavier of the two. If you get a good look at her face
(good luck, she is rarely still unless sleeping) you may notice
a dip in her snout before the end of her nose.
Sierra has a slightly flatter nose.
Even though our sea lions look a lot alike, they have very distinct personalities, mannerisms and even vocalizations. As trainers, we spend a lot of time getting to know our animals and use these in addition to their physical characteristics to tell them apart.
Watch and listen to this video to hear the difference between the vocalizations of Sierra and Zoe.
Now that you know what to look for, test your skills and see if you can tell who is who during your next visit to the Aquarium!
Here's question we often get at the Marine Mammal Center: how do we tell our animals apart?
This blog is meant to help you do just that. Follow along for some helpful hints you can use next time you visit our flippered friends! The Marine Mammal Center exhibit is home to two California sea lions and seven Northern fur seals.
Step one: Which species?
Are you looking at a fur seal or a sea lion? This can be tricky because Northern fur seals and California sea lions share characteristics that land them both in a category called eared seals! There are many ways that sea lions are similar to the fur seals, but where they differ will help you decipher who is who.
So what's the major difference? FUR! The Northern fur seals at the Aquarium generally have a darker color to their fur than the sea lions. When they are wet, fur seals look black, while the sea lions look brown.
Fur seals
Sea lions
When dry, the fur seals lounging on the deck at the marine mammal center look more brown, and their sea lion neighbors will look a golden brown or blonde color.
Fur seals
Sea lions
Another noticeable difference is the size of the hind flippers. Fur seals have a lot of extra cartilage on their flippers past the bone. This allows them to reach anywhere they need to with their giant flippers in order to groom their fur coat. After all, fur seals have the second thickest coat of fur on the planet.
Sea lions have hair as well, but it doesn't need as much maintenance because they rely mostly on blubber to keep warm instead of fur. This means that sea lions don't need such long hind flippers.
This photo shows the hind flippers of a Northern fur seal.
This photo shows the hind flippers of a California sea lion.
Looking at the photos of sea lions vs. fur seals, can you find any other ways to tell them apart?
If you can tell the sea lions apart, you’ve reached expert level in seal identification. Tune in tomorrow for more tips that'll help you determine who's who.
Those sea lions, always up to something. Most recently they tore through the exhibit in a high-energy game of keep away, just another example of how you can get good exercise with some fun and games. And here, Exhibit A.
Zoe and Sierra really took porpoising to new levels with this game. It's amazing to watch them fly through the air and zip through the water. Check out more videos of them in action here, here and here.
You may have noticed the wall flowers in the background—the mature fur seals were having none of the young sea lions games. But did you hear Baranov whickering in the background? He seemed to be defending his patch of deck from the other male, Isaac, and those rascally pups.
It's been well-established that the sea lions are an active pair here, here, here and here. Sometimes they're so lightning-fast it's hard to see them! We thought we'd take a moment to slow things down a bit and see just how athletic this pair is.
Let's take porpoising, for example. Porpoising is when an animals leaps out of the water while swimming. Penguins do it. The harbor seals do it. So do the sea lions! Can you see how Zoe and Sierra take a big stroke with their front flippers to propel themselves out of the water?
It takes agility in the water, strength to leap into the air and, of course, a lot of spunk to make it look so easy and fun! So come by to see the sea lions. Don't blink and you might just see them get some air!
It's hard to believe that fall is right around the corner when we're still sweating through scorching summer heat here in New England. But that just means there's still time to have fun in the water!
The fountains on the Greenway are a fun way to cool off in the summer!
After leaving the cool, shady Aquarium, many visitors head straight over to the Rose Kennedy Greenway fountains. Not only do they provide a little escape from the heat, they're a really fun way to get active!
Zoe and Sierra like to mess around with their own kind of water fountain — a regular old garden hose. Watch how they romp and engage with this refreshing toy with Leu, the Northern fur seal pup.
Whether you're a kid or a sea lion, dashing through sprinklers and fountains is a great way to stay active and cool in the summer.
During these steamy summer months, many families take the plunge to cool off in a community swimming pool, a pond or river, the ocean or even in a backyard kiddy pool. There's just nothing like splashing around in the water to cool off!
If you've seen them zip through the water, you know these gals are expert swimmers. Sea lions learn to swim when they're only a few weeks old, and they grow up to be among the fast marine mammals in the oceans today, reaching speeds of up to 25 miles per hour! They have to be speedy to stay one step ahead of predators in the wild.
While not all of us can swim as well as Zoe and Sierra, it's always refreshing to watch them make some waves. Come on down and marvel at the aquatic acrobats at the Aquarium. And as you're looking to cool off at the water's edge this summer, just keep in mind a few water safety tips:
Always make sure you swim with an adult or a buddy
Keep an eye on the weather
Swim only in safe areas, beware of waves and dangerous currents
Happy Valentine's Day from Zoe, Sierra and all of us here in the Marine Mammal Department.
If you haven't had a chance to see our newest California sea lions, come by for a visitand catch their latest antics! They barely stop moving so there's always something to see at the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center. Or watch some of their Fitness Friday videos.
What are true seals? This is one of the commonly asked questions here at the New England Aquarium and I am here to answer it for all of you who, I know, are just dying to know. And the answer is ... drumroll please.................. NOTHING!
But my blog cannot and will not end with such a vague answer!
Sea lions are a type of seal that have external ear flaps, can rotate their hind flippers under their bodies and "walk" on land. They use long front flippers for swimming and standing, and have LOTS of blubber (or fat).
Our sea lion ladies, Zoe and Sierra. You can see their earflaps and upright posture here.
Fur seals look a lot like sea lions and have almost the same physical characteristics, except they don't have all that blubber to help keep them warm. They have, you guessed it, fur! Both sea lions and fur seals are in the same family and referred to as "eared seals."
Northern fur seals like Ursula have to groom frequently to get the most warmth out of their fur coats.
True seals, sometimes referred to as "earless seals," are in another family. This includes all other seals except sea lions, fur seals, and walrus. True seals don't have external ear flaps, they use their hind flippers for swimming, they have a lot of blubber, and short front flippers so they slug around on land. Our Atlantic Harbor seals are examples of a true seals.
Atlantic harbor seals on the Front Plaza
When put side by side, you can really see the similarities and differences. Here at the New England Aquarium, we currently have Atlantic harbor seals and Northern fur seals and California sea lions.
