Just days after his dad had a birthday, little Flaherty is celebrating his second birthday at the Aquarium today! He'll enjoy some extra helpings of fish in honor of the occasion, while we all ooh and ahh over how much he's grown.
The birthday boy now...
...around one years old in his, erm, pudgy stage...
...and as a newborn pup, beside his mum, Ursula.
On Monday, Flaherty's dad enjoyed a birthday feast of whole herring and squid for his special day. Isaac was born at the Seattle aquarium 14 years ago! It's hard to imagine that little Flaherty could one day grow to be as big as Isaac. That'll take a couple more years. (Here's how Isaac celebrated last year.)
With all those youngsters splashing around all day,
it's no wonder that Isaac and Ursula need a nap now and then.
Come check out the action in the marine mammal center! Buy your tickets online and print them at home, that's the fastest way to get in the door to see the fur seals and sea lions.
Usually the kiddie pools in our Northern fur seal exhibit are used for enrichment with the younger seals and pups, like this ice adventure with Leu:
But yesterday, Isaac decided to borrow one!
Looks like it's
not quite deep enough for him to practice his speed swimming. This seems to be a first for Isaac. Occasionally Cordova the adult female fur seal would hop in there, but she's a much easier fit!
Isaac may have been born at the Seattle Aquarium, but he's a strong, proud Bostonian now. And he's showing a little pride for the home team today—with some help from the trainers.
Congratulations to the World Champion Boston Red Sox! Enjoy your well-deserved victory parade today. If you're in the city for the parade, hop on over to the Aquarium and say hello to Isaac—one of the largest members of Red Sox nation.
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!
All the trainers wanted to give mom and baby some space after the birth so the pair could bond and rest. After a couple days, the trainers did a closer examination on the pup and determined her sex. She's also tipping the scales at 11 pounds now! The pup continues to nurse, call and grow stronger every day in her cozy behind-the-scenes space she shares with Ursula.
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!
See Kitovi at the Marine Mammal Center with her mom, Ursula. Pick up your tickets online. You'll be watching the fur seals and sea lions splash it up in no time.
And relive the a splash the pup made online! We've been getting well-wishes from all over the world. And that cute little mug has been making the rounds online. Here a smattering of media coverage about the pup: ABC's Good Morning America
To celebrate Isaac's 13th birthday, everyone who came out to watch his show on Sunday sang to him! I think he enjoyed the sentiment and thanks you all for the ditty...
There have been a couple of other birthday bashes recently, too. Flaherty just turned 1 year old! Check out his party here. And check out the harbor seals' seal-abration.
Isaac got already got a little shout-out on the News Blog for Father's Day. This is how the trainers celebrated with the big guy at the marine mammal center.
We were all very excited to celebrate Father's day with Isaac, but no one was more excited than his son Flaherty. Being new to gift giving, Flaherty couldn't decide on what to get his old man, so we suggested a couple of things: a traditional tie and a beautiful bouquet of fresh herring.
As
Flaherty anxiously watched his dad choose his favorite of the two and after careful consideration, it
was obvious which gift he thought was best.
Hope all you dads had a Happy Father's Day to all you dad's out there and a very special shout out to first
timers like Isaac!
Why would I get in the water when there’s a perfectly nice spot right here? This photo shows Isaac the Northern fur seal getting some quality time snoozing on the deck on a chilly February afternoon.
You might notice that he's tucked into a giant pear shape. Those tucked flippers indicate the seal is trying to conserve heat. Splayed flippers, particularly spreading the webbing of the hind flippers indicates a seal is trying to dissipate heat. So, changing a flipper position helps Isaac maintain a consistent core temperature.
It seems that everyone wants to challenge the Northern fur seals! After seeing some staff members and supporters go toe to flipper with Isaac, Cordova and Ursula in some Fitness Friday challenges, several of our VPs and our president and CEO decided to get in on the action.
Our President and CEO, Bud Ris, battled Isaac to see who could beautify the water in the New Balance Marine Mammal Center faster by pulling more toys out of the water and placing them on the deck.
Patty introduces (left to right) Bud Ris; Walter Flaherty, Executive Vice President and COO; Joe Zani, Vice President of Finance and Operations; and Billy Spitzer,Vice President of Planning, Programs and Exhibits.
Although Bud did his best to distract Isaac with his splashy dive into the pool, he was hampered by having to wear a bulky wetsuit. Isaac, on the other hand, has the advantage of his sleek fur, which allows him to glide through the water.
Watch the video below to see who won.
As you can see, the fur seals and sea lions in the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center are inspiring athletes. Get inspired for your upcoming weekend and learn more about these active marine mammals by looking back at some previous Fitness Friday posts: Compare "landlubbing" harbor seals and fur seals. Ever wonder how well a sea lion plays soccer? Wonder no more. Check out Isaac's feats of strength in this post about learning new skills.
What happens when a group of Aquarium staff members challenges the fur seals to various races and tests of endurance? You get a Fitness Friday rumble! The Aquarium staff members and friends are in training for a competition called Tough Mudder, which is a test of strength, determination, endurance and teamwork. They're blogging about training for the race and also raising funds for the Aquarium here. And they were feeling so good about their toughness that they decided to go up against the fur seals to tests themselves.
So what happened when Chris, an aquarist who works with jellies, went up against Isaac the fur seal in a swimming race? Watch the result in the video below.
Even though Isaac gave Chris a head start, he left Chris sputtering in his wake. Fur seals are definitely at home in the water, and definitely athletic. Check out this video of Ursula if you're not convinced!
Aquarium staff and supporters are
participating in an extreme obstacle course event called the Tough
Mudder this weekend. They have been posting about their training methods and
animals that inspire them to work hard here. They are also raising funds to
support the Aquarium. You can help them out by donating to support their efforts.
With the sea lion pups being such balls of energy, the trainers usually take them behind the scenes during training sessions. It helps both the pups and the fur seals concentrate. Well, here's an example of why we do that.
Isaac was curious about the commotion and came to check things out. The wave pool ensued, and from there you can see the sea lions were on the move. Watch as the trainers work to keep them on task. It's obvious these two are still frisky youngsters! You'll get a kick out of seeing them zip through the water, a perfect display of fitness and finesse for today's New Balance Foundation Fitness Friday post.
In this previous New Balance Foundation Fitness Friday post, we saw Isaac and Paul working on a few flipper stretches. Well, now the pair is taking this activity to a whole new level. Watch in this video as Isaac kicks, spins and shakes with Paul!
(Just in case your forgot, Isaac is the fur seal. He was named after the singer Chris Isaak. In fact, the two Isaac(k)s got to meet last summer!)
Isaac may be a lumbering fellow, but he and his trainer are still able to find ways to get moving. Try it yourself—kick, spin and shimmy-shake just like Isaac!
Many folks work with physical trainers to help them reach their fitness goals. Well, Isaac has a trainer and a partner in fitness in Paul, one of our marine mammal trainers.
To show off his long, super strong front flippers, Isaac has learned how to do a flipperstand. This is just what it sounds like—the seal equivalent of a handstand! Watch the steps Isaac and Justin went through to show you the incredible strength of fur seals (and that's just the front flippers!).
Can you do a handstand? Try learning how to do one the way Isaac did!
On Thursday, I had the opportunity of introducing our fur seal Isaac to the singer Chris Isaak. There are many things I like about Isaac and I always thought the story of how Isaac received his name was a cute one. Apparently, the night he was born, Chris Isaak was playing a concert nearby. Using this as their inspiration, the staff decided on a name for their new little fur seal. So it was fun to be the one to finally introduce the two.
This is my favorite photo of the event! What do you think? Do you see a resemblance?
Way back in 2000, musician Chris Isaak was playing a show in Seattle. That same night a male Northern fur seal pup was born at the nearby Seattle Aquarium. Since it was the night of Isaak's concert, the pup was named Isaac. Today, Isaac lives at the New England Aquarium, in the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center.
Isaak did not know that a seal was named after him. Today, 11 years later, he was invited to meet Isaac the seal at the New England Aquarium.
Here's a video showing Isaac the seal meeting his famous namesake. After the training session Isaak was kind enough to sign autographs for some fans.
Ah summer, when a young man's thoughts turn to, well, napping. Once breeding season is over, male Northern fur seals begin to molt. As they lose their old fur and acquire a new coat, their appetite decreases and they start to drop much of the extra 100 pounds or so that they gained in the spring. As many of us can attest, losing weight is hard work. Just check these guys out.
It is high time we officially introduce you to our youngest male Northern fur seal, Isaac. Isaac is 9 years old and currently weighs in at just over 200 pounds, though we expect him to nearly double in size in the next few years.
Isaac was born at the Seattle Aquarium and is named after Chris Isaak, who happened to be playing nearby at the time. When he moved out here, he traveled with a trainer by FedEx (we still have the packing slip!).
During the last few months, we have been working with Isaac to fine-tune some of his behaviors, including his head shake (so you can see his handsome hair), vocal (it sounds like a purr), and open mouth. He is doing great!
This is a really cool video of Isaac, our 9-year-old male Northern fur seal, jug handling. Check out Patty's previous post here, for information on why they hang around in this neat position. It's hard to tell where each flipper is when he is already in position, but keep watching as he unfolds and folds his flippers back into place.
Isaac shows us how this resting behavior looks from start to finish-almost in slow motion!
