Ursula (foreground) and Chiidax and Kitovi (L to R behind her)

Note the two lumps of sea lion lazing in the deeper part of the pool

In the background you can see the sea lions, Zoe and Sierra, logging at the surface. Sea lions sometimes sleep in the water but they don't jug handle. Sometimes they "sail" with a front and/or rear flipper straight up in the air while their body floats. Another difference between the sea lions and fur seals: blubber versus fur. The sea lions have a nice layer of blubber to stay warm, and the fur seals rely on their super-thick fur coats—even when wet.

When they're not relaxing in the pool, these animals are definitely a rambunctious crew. Check out some of their antics in these blog posts:

• The sea lions even make eating peas look like fun 
• Silly Sierra likes to stick her tongue out 
• Like many of us, the sea lions like to play in the sprinkler 
• And when you can't handle the heat, think about all the snow the seals played in last winter 

It wasn't so long ago that Kitovi was learning how to eat fish after months of nursing her mom's milk. But just like human babies, eating solid food was a skill that took some practice. It was up to her mom, Ursula, to show her the ropes.

Here's a video of Ursula tossing her food about, ripping the fish into pieces while Kitovi follows her lead.



One indication that this was a teaching session was because of the type of fish being tossed: herring. Ursula usually doesn't give herring the time of day. But here she was throwing it about, mouthing it and showing some interest. The trainers know better. This was likely Ursula tolerating her least-favorite fish just to show Kit how to eat fish.

Oh, those eyes, Kitovi!

Kit is now eating fish like the fur seal she is. Look for her and the band of frisky youngsters in the marine mammal center! There's Leu, Flaherty, Chiidax, Zoe and Sierra. Of course, don't forget about the wise elders of the group: Isaac, Ursula and Roxie.

This mama is actually grooming her beautiful fur coat in this picture. See how her hind flipper is stretched over her shoulder? She is rubbing her fur with the underside of her flipper. On the top of  a Northern fur seal's rear flippers rear flippers are toe nails that are able to dig in and comb the fur or just give a good scratch. Sometimes the fur seals might scratch their backs on a rock or rub their bellies with a front flipper. Whew, grooming is a lot of hard work.

As we've mentioned before, fur seals rely on their fur to keep them warm when they're hunting in the cold waters of Northern Pacific Ocean (or spending winters in Boston). They have more hairs in a square inch than 3 or 4 people have on their heads—and we're not talking about your bald uncles, either. Unlike sea lions or harbor seals that have a cozy layer of blubber, fur seals rely on fur stay warm.

Ooh, that's the spot!

Fur seals were commercially hunted for their pelts until the practice was banned in 1966. The population has continued to decline since then. The reasons for the decline in fur seal populations are unclear, but possible factors include overfishing, entanglement in fishing gear, climate change and pollution.

The New England Aquarium is one of only a few zoos or aquariums where you can see this beautiful species, and the seals are part of a special breeding program. Both Flaherty and Kitovi were born here! We've also taken in rescued pups—Leu and Chiidax—that were abandoned or injured as youngsters and wouldn't have been able to survive in the wild.

Consider these links your intro to the whole gang of Northern fur seals and California sea lions at the marine mammal center, but you really should pop by to say hi yourself! Click on the links below to see what kind of antics these animals are up to in the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center:

• Ursula
• Isaac
• Flaherty
• Kitovi
• Leu
• Roxie
• Sierra
• Zoe

Kitovi the Northern fur seal isn't even two months old yet, and she's already on the move! After her bashful public debut, some lucky visitors to the Aquarium's open-air exhibit can now see this energetic pup splashing about the public side of the marine mammal center. She spends time swimming, grooming and exploring the main exhibit with all the other seals.



When you see her next to adults (like her mum Ursula below), you can tell Kit still has a lot of growing to do. So she spends a lot of time behind the scenes with her Ursula, feeding and playing and learning how to be a fur seal. You might also catch her nursing (more on that later).


But for the lucky folks that get to Kitovi in the main exhibit, it's a real treat to see her on move. Here's a look at Kitovi in the pool, on the rocks and on the deck. You can bet Ursula is never far—what a good mom!



Kit was born in August and she's definitely made her mark in the media. Check out some of the deliciously cute pictures of her growing up!

• Newborn Kit was just about the cutest thing to hit eyeballs near and far
• Video of Kit's bashful debut showed how she tested the water
• Kit's first foray in the public exhibit drew plenty of oohs and awwws
• Kit's frisky big brother Flaherty is just a year older

See the playful pup during a Google+ Hangout on Air back in 2013.

It's been just over a week since we shared the happy news about Ursula and Isaac's adorable pup, and we have even more exciting news to share this week: It's a girl!

That face!

Ursula continues to be a great mom. She's eating well and teaching her little girl all about being a fur seal.

The pup does not have a name just yet. But you can bet the little one will have a name soon! Be sure to check back often to watch this little one grow.

Notice that little patch of white fur at the base of the pup's flipper—it's a sweet little birth mark!

Ursula makes this soothing sound when feeling zen and calm.  She has been heard "clicking" when resting on land and when nursing her pup, Flaherty.  Listen carefully...





—Lindsay

A winter full of snow storms... and we’re all set here at the Aquarium! With their thick fur coats, Northern fur seals are perfectly adapted for cold weather. Check out how the seals and their trainers faired during Winter Storm Nemo.

A thick layer of snow covering everything in sight!

Not a problem, Roxie, Ursula and Cordova did not let these frosty conditions interfere with their lunch.

Those snow drifts are bigger than 7 month old Flaherty!

Snow angels!  (those silly trainers)

Looks like the seals had fun in the snow!  How do you play in the snow? 
-Marie

We talk a lot about the sea lions and their antics. But they're not the only youngsters! Leu (the Northern fur seal pup rescued earlier this year) and Flaherty (the pup born to Ursula in July) are growing up and testing out their new-found strength on the deck and in the water.



Play is an important part of an active lifestyle. Sometimes it means being on a sports team, sometimes it means just kicking the ball around with a friend. If you're a fur seal, it means rough housing, pretending you're an adult male fur seal protecting your territory.



For Leu and Flaherty, play continues until they get tired or Flaherty's mom, Ursula, breaks things up (as you saw in the video). He's is still a baby protected under her watchful eye. But Flaherty's growing fast. If you want to see this little guy before he grows to be as big as his dad Isaac, you better come visit the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center!

There's a lot that kids can learn from their parents, such as healthy eating habits and making exercise a part of every day. Ursula is already teaching her little guy Flaherty how to get around the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center with graceful swimming strokes and casual lopes around the deck.


Visit the seals and sea lions at the Aquarium and you might catch a glimpse of this youngster swimming with his pal, Leu, or getting some good advice from his mom.

Two years ago, I had the opportunity to join in a research trip to St. Paul, Alaska with a group of scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In case you missed my words of wisdom from that trip, here is the start of the eight blogs about that experience.

This year, I was thrilled when the researchers and my bosses gave me the green light to go again! (Clearly I am just a little bit excited.) This biennial research trip involves a study of Northern fur seals to determine the population of the largest breeding colony in the United States. What makes the trip even more dynamic is the fact that we have a brand new addition to our Marine Mammal Department… a baby Northern fur seal! Ursula gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on Tuesday, July 10, 2012. [Learn more about this special event here, and see video of little guy here.]

All images and video taken during this research study were authorized by the Marine Mammal Protection Act Permit # 14327.

~Patty

Ursula has given birth to a pup! You can read the full press release here. This is the first video of mother and pup hanging out behind the scenes!



Note that the pair will not be visible to the public for a while so they can enjoy some bonding time together out of the exhibit.

During these hot summer days, it's always fun to look back at some really cool competitions between the fur seals and some of the leadership at the Aquarium. Remember when Bud took on Isaac to see who could swim for more toys?


Tough Mudder competition: Billy raises his hand during Patty's introduction

This time we're going to see who can cruise through the Tough Mudder style obstacle course first — Billy Spitzer, PhD, Vice President of Planning, Programs and Exhibits, or Ursula, clever fur seal extraordinaire.



We'll have some more Tough Mudder competitions coming up. It's a fun way to see how the agile fur seals stack up against the athletic staff at the Aquarium in speed swimming, triathlons and more. Stay tuned!

Would you challenge a Northern fur seal to a race? If you've been reading the Fitness Friday posts, you know that a team of Aquarium staffers and friends did. This team is training for the Tough Mudder competition, and they challenged the Northern fur seals to various races and tests of coordination and endurance.

In last week's post, a staffer went up against Cordova the fur seal in a triathlon of crawling, swimming and climbing.

In the video below, you can watch another team member compete against Ursula the fur seal in an obstacle course race that includes water, hoops and limbo poles.



The Tough Mudder team posts updates about their training and you can donate to help them raise money for the Aquarium here.

A very flexible Ursula

Check out our other New Balance Foundation Fitness Friday posts! Watch how Isaac managed to learn an impressive flipper stand, and see the sea lions romping with a hose for a bit of exercise.

Isaac has already showed us his impressive strength with a flipper stand. Another way these seals can show off their incredibly strong flippers is by doing the ever impressive speed swim. Fur seals can swim at impressive speeds, said to be over 10 mph!





Watch how easily Ursula glides through the water at a high speed.



Her trainers worked up her distance by starting close to the end point and gradually increased the distance. She can now swim the entire length of the pool! On average, people can swim at around 3 mph. Can you beat that?

-Lindsay

At the Fur Seal Exhibit, the morning routine is fast paced for the training staff. Between 8:00 and 9:30 am we: Prepare 150 pounds of fish and squid for the seals, collect exhibit water samples for analysis, start the laundry, get dive gear ready, start hosing the seal poop from the exhibit deck, SCUBA dive to scrub the exhibit floor, and start the vacuum for yet more seal poop. Phew.


Taz


Roxie

This video below shows Ursula resting while making a rarely heard clicking sound.



Roxie is up and has a lot to say in this video. To me, her first vocalization sounds like a honk while the third and fifth sound like she is saying "Hey". I guess we'll never know.



Finally, Erin helps JD wake up with an invigorating neck scratch.



- Jenny

There was a family reunion today at the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center when two new northern fur seals joined our exhibit. The two new females, Taz and Roxie, are both related to Ursula, one of the three females already in the exhibit. Roxie is Ursula’s mom and Taz is an aunt. Taz and Roxie came up from the New York Aquarium last month, but they had to be in quarantine for 30 days before they could join the rest of the fur seals. Today was the big day when the doors to the quarantine area were opened. Ursula seemed to know something was up because she jumped up on the deck and headed to the quarantine area as the doors were opened.


Taz and Roxie both have cataracts and don’t see that well, so they made their way tentatively up the ramp, while Ursula waited impatiently on the deck. The minute the two new girls came on deck Ursula was at Roxie’s side, making “pup calls," the vocalizations that a young seal makes so its mother can identify it. Then Ursula and Roxie went nose to nose.


Ursula continued to follow Roxie around, even after both seals got in the water. In fact, there was a lot of sniffing and touching as all the seals checked out the newcomers.


Taz and Roxie’s introduction went really smoothly, and after about 20 minutes, everyone was ready to eat breakfast.

Ursula, a Northern fur seal, is always up to something. Here she is stretching on a Fitness Friday, a great start to any New Year's resolution.


Ursula stretching with her trainer on Fitness Friday. (Photo: Ann Cortissoz)

Her latest skill may not be so elegant, or polite. But we're all family here! Here she is helping herself to some squid, lots of squid. (With a little help from her trainer, Belinda, of course!)




Ursula often visits us behind the scenes here in the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center. We first saw her sneaking snacks from the fridge while preparing food for the rest of the seals one day. (Find out what else our seals eat here.) We wondered whether it was a fluke, but sure enough, she continues to help herself whenever she's given an opportunity. If her New Year's resolution was to lay off the snacks, it looks like she's not doing so well with that goal!

Fortunately, we have an active bunch. All five of our fur seals get plenty of exercise cruising around their pool, or learning new skills during training sessions. Come by sometime and see for yourself! And in the meantime, good luck with those New Year's resolutions.

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