Dedicated to inspiring curiosity, educating the public, and studying our ocean world. Your support helps us protect the blue planet. | Science
@CenterOceanLife
In an incredibly rare event, our
#AndersonCabotCenter
aerial survey team spotted a gray whale off the New England coast last week, a species that has been extinct in the Atlantic for more than 200 years! 😮
More:
#AerialSurvey
#GrayWhale
We were thrilled to welcome
@SenWarren
and her family to the Aquarium for a visit today! We are grateful for your support in helping us secure $1 million in the federal budget to support our ocean research.
@CenterOceanLife
#mapoli
Thanks to everyone who has asked about the wellbeing of our animals after last night. Our animals are safe. Boston Police performed a welfare check after a reported attempted break-in, however that report was false.Please be safe and thank you for all your support.
We are a(n):
⚪️ guy
⚪️ girl
🔘 aquarium
Looking for:
⚪️ a boyfriend
⚪️ a girlfriend
🔘 a way to engage people on climate change and ocean health because it's one of the defining issues of our time.
Three cheers for the GREENEST resident in our
#GiantOceanTank
! 🍀💚
Our green moray eel, Thomas, has been a resident of the Giant Ocean Tank for ~14 years now. At his exam, he weighed in at ~40 lb. and 5'6" long. That's a big moray!
#StPaddysDay
#GreenMorayEel
A unique sight from the sky: FOUR
#KillerWhales
swimming together!
Last Sunday, Aquarium scientists spotted four
#orcas
on an
#AerialSurvey
40 miles south of Nantucket. According to our scientists, it is unusual to see killer whales in New England waters, let alone four!
We celebrate
@POTUS
@JoeBiden
taking immediate executive action to initiate steps to restore protections to our nation’s natural treasures, including the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.
We are saddened to announce that our giant Pacific octopus Tatoosh has passed away. As an ambassador for his species, he inspired awe & helped educate Aquarium guests, while helping Aquarium staff further their knowledge of the needs & behavior of this species. He will be missed.
"
@EarthshotPrize
has been designed to find and grow the solutions that will repair our planet this decade."
Three finalists for The
#EarthshotPrize
2022 have developed innovative solutions to help our ocean thrive.
#EarthshotPrize2022
More:
North Atlantic right whale "Snow Cone" was sighted by our team yesterday newly entangled and in extremely poor health, and our scientists believe she cannot be saved. Read our full statement here:
The Aquarium is saddened by the loss of our giant Pacific octopus, Ruddy. Ruddy was a remarkable cephalopod and wonderful ambassador for giant Pacific octopuses. For more on Ruddy, visit our Facebook page.
#GiantPacificOctopus
#Octopus
Weighing in at 70kg (154lbs!), we have our female leopard whiptail
#stingray
! 😮
Our
#WhiptailStingrays
recently had their annual exams.The female gained 5.5lbs since her last weigh in. We recently started target training with the whiptails, so this growth spurt was expected!
After months of care at our
#SeaTurtleHospital
, some of our cold-stunned
#SeaTurtles
are being released back into the ocean today! 🐢
In total, 10 of our turtles were picked up by
@turtles_fly2
to land at
@NASAKennedy
, and are part of a batch of 37 turtles being released in FL!
We have five more North Atlantic right whale mother and calf pairs to report! ☺️
In the last two weeks, Wolf, Braces, Halo, Catalog
#3780
, and Legato have all been spotted with their newest calves.
More:
📸: NOAA Permit
#26919
.
#AndersonCabotCenter
We now officially have our 16th
#NorthAtlanticRightWhale
calf of the season! 🐋
This is 21-year-old Giza's third calf, and the young right whale appears to be just weeks old!
📸: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, NOAA permit
#20556
-01
#RightWhaleCalves
#Spring
has sprung! 🌹
Yesterday marked the first day of spring, which makes today
#NationalFlowerDay
!
Did you know that Cayenne the
#HarborSeal
knows how to paint? In fact, Cayenne holds a paint brush holder in her mouth. Today, she has traded in her art tool for a flower!
For the first time ever, our
#shark
scientists have collected "shark-cam" footage of a
#NurseShark
following a pod of
#BottlenoseDolphins
. The shark isn't following the dolphins to hunt them, but to eat the fish that the
#dolphins
disturb in the sand using their echolocation! 🤯
Get an inside look at life inside the Giant Ocean Tank! See if you can spot Myrtle, a shark, a ray, or one of our divers. Or, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the view! For the full video, watch our Facebook video of the day! 🐟 🐠 🦈
#VirtualVisit
#AquariumFromHome
In case you haven't noticed, we get really excited about new
#NorthAtlanticRightWhale
calves! 🐋
Below is the 17th identified mom of the season! The elusive mother whale has only been seen 8 times since her first sighting in 2005.
📸:
@CMAquarium
/USACE, NOAA Permit
#20556
-01
Even our marine mammals are helping reduce plastic pollution! In efforts to limit plastic waste, we've switched over to
#sustainable
bamboo toothbrushes for our animals!
Watch Chacoda the Atlantic harbor seal get his pearly whites brushed!
Trumpet just turned 38! 🎂
Trumpet is our second-oldest Atlantic
#HarborSeal
+ is the mother of Chacoda and Cayenne. You can tell her apart from the other seals by the light grey spots on her belly! The other seals have dark spots or no spots at all.
#HappyBirthday
, Trumpet!
The 11th mom/calf pair of the season: "Pediddle" + her new calf!
Pediddle was seen with her ninth known calf. She now has the honor of sharing the longest calving history with two other
#NorthAtlanticRightWhales
!
More:
📸:
@CMAquarium
; NOAA permit
#20556
Recently, there have been sightings of North Atlantic right whales off of ME and MA! 🌊
A citizen spotted this whale near Portland Harbor & reported it to NOAA Fisheries.
@CenterOceanLife
scientists are working to identify the individual, who has signs of entanglement injury.
September 2022 ➡️ February 2023
Our headstart
#WoodTurtles
are growing! Back in September when we first received our headstart turtles, this particular turtle weighed in at 12.3 grams, and now weighs 109.6 grams. That's quite a growth spurt!
#NorthAmericanWoodTurtle
#Endangered
We have a large diversity of
#sharks
living in New England waters!🦈
Our scientists are currently researching 10 of these species: sand tiger, sandbar, porbeagle, shortfin mako, common thresher, blue, dusky (seen below), smooth hammerhead, spinner, and tiger!
#SharkAwarenessDay
It's that time of year again...
See a seal snoozin'? Do not disturb!
It is completely normal for seals to haul themselves out on the shore. Please leave them alone!
Introducing: Giant Ocean Tank live webcam! 🎥
Interested in what the residents of the giant ocean tank are doing? Now you can live stream it directly into your home! 🐢🦈🐠 For full live cam viewing, visit:
#VirtualVisit
#AquariumFromHome
#GiantOceanTank
Have you ever wondered where recovered sea turtles go after we release them? After almost nine months of care, Himalayan Salt was outfitted with a satellite tracking tag and released off Cape Cod in September.
Check out the loggerhead’s journey south to warmer waters!📍🐢
Today, 79 rehabilitated
#SeaTurtles
were flown to facilities in NY, NJ & FL to continue their recovery! With lots of cold-stunned turtles stranding on Cape Cod, the transport makes room for new arrivals to our Sea Turtle Hospital. There, our team has cared for nearly 400 so far!
🎶 These *shoes* were made for walkin' 🎶
We recently told you about Beach Donkey's training sessions + how she is rewarded with "novel views" at the Aquarium. Why did she undergo the training sessions? To have her get used to her custom shoes!
More:
Everyone, meet Edmond, our newest (and teeniest) giant Pacific octopus! He may be small now, but he is mighty—octopuses are pure muscle. When he grows up, he could be up to 15 feet across! via Instagram
Today we are celebrating 51 years of
#MyrtleTheTurtle
at the Aquarium! 🐢
Myrtle came to us from an Aquarium in Provincetown in 1970. To celebrate Myrtle's 51st anniversary with us, share any/all of your
#MyrtleMoments
that you've had at NEAq throughout the years!
Jumping into Sunday like these porpoising penguins! 🐧
Our rockhopper penguins often porpoise after their morning meal, and are still as active as ever behind closed doors!
#RockhopperPenguins
#VirtualVisit
#AquariumFromHome
Last week, 17 of our rehabilitated turtles were released back into the ocean thanks to our dedicated staff + volunteer pilots! 🐢 🚁
#VirtualVisit
#AquariumFromHome
A
#SillySaturday
post with Sierra, the California
#SeaLion
! 😛
Sierra has lived at the Aquarium almost 11 years now (how time flies!). According to her trainers, Sierra sticks her tongue out when she is ready to take a nap. So it looks like Sierra might be ready for a snooze!
Thomas, you're looking magnificent today! 💚❇️
Green moray eels (like Thomas) are found in coral reefs and rocky hideaways across the Atlantic. Next time you visit the Giant Ocean Tank, keep an eye out for Thomas hiding in the reef or under the rocks!
#ThomasTheEel
#Thomas
On June 20, 1969, we opened our doors for the first time. For 50 years (and counting) the New England Aquarium's dedicated team of of scientists, educators, innovators, volunteers, and members have been protecting the blue planet. Here's to 50 more!
#nea
…
Introducing: Penguin live webcam! 🎥
You asked, and we delivered! You can now live stream our African penguin colony webcam directly into your home! 🐧 🐧 🐧 For full live cam viewing, visit:
#VirtualVisit
#AquariumFromHome
#Penguins
A 350lb adult male loggerhead
#SeaTurtle
was saved on the beaches of Truro yesterday afternoon thanks to
@MassAudubon
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and Truro DPW! The turtle is now being cared for at our Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy. 🐢
#SeaTurtleRescue
The New England Aquarium is donating as many masks, gloves, and surgical gowns as we can to local hospitals at the frontlines of COVID-19 care. If you have anything to spare, please do! Remember, we are all in this together!
#COVID19
#MasksNow
We know the connection between a healthy ocean & a strong nat'l economy. That’s why we’re standing w/ 35 other aquariums & zoos to
#ProtectOurCoasts
from new offshore oil & gas drilling. You can too! Learn more & speak up by 3/9: via
@MontereyAq
🎶 When the jaws open wide and there's more jaws inside that's... a moray. 🎶 .
(Moray Eels have a 2nd set of jaws in their throats, known as pharyngeal jaws!) via Instagram
Two dozen
#SeaTurtles
are back in the ocean after months of rehabilitative care at our
#SeaTurtleHospital
! ☀️🐢
Our team drove the 24 turtles down to North Carolina yesterday for release, where the water is warm enough in the springtime for them.
More:
Remember those sea turtles our rescue team released on
#CapeCod
yesterday? This map shows where each turtle has been swimming since they returned to the sea!
#TurtleTuesday
[more on the release here:
Believe it or not, Myrtle has been at the Aquarium for over 53 years now! 🤯
At 500+ lb, she continues to be the largest resident of the Giant Ocean Tank, and perhaps our most famous! When was the last time you visited Myrtle?
#MyrtleTheTurtle
#GreenSeaTurtle
#SeaTurtle
#Myrtle
Today we applaud and praise the Biden-Harris Administration’s decision to restore full protections for Northeast Canyons and Seamounts
#MarineNationalMonument
! 👏 🎊
Read the full statement:
📸: New England Aquarium
#MonumentsForAll
#MarineMonument
The Aquarium is closed today due to the weather. 🌨️ ❄️
If you had tickets to the Aquarium today, call our reservationists at 617-973-5206 to re-book. We will be open tomorrow for regular business hours!
Enjoy this photo of one of our harbor seals "catching" snowflakes!
Giant Pacific octopuses use their suckers to grasp their food and move it to their mouth. Each sucker has chemical receptors that allow them to smell and taste everything they touch! 🐙 Enjoy more in our
#VirtualVisit
of the day on FB and YouTube at 11am!
#GiantPacificOctopus
We’d like to introduce you to the newest members of the NEAq family: Our bluespotted
#StingrayPups
. One male and two female pups were born to a stingray mom last month!
Keep an eye on our social accounts in the coming weeks for more
#BabyRay
footage + an update on these pups.
We're thrilled to announce w/
@trilliumbrewing
that in only 3 weeks, more than $10K was raised to support research and conservation at
@NEAQ
. When you support efforts like For the Sake of the Sea IPA, you help to support vital ocean conservation efforts around the globe. 🌎
Every wondered how many penguins we have at the Aquarium? 🐧
Join our aquarist Amanda as she feeds the penguins! For the full video, check out our Facebook video of the day.
#VirtualVisit
#Penguins
#AquariumFromHome
On a recent aerial survey, our team saw five North Atlantic
#RightWhales
in a
#SurfaceActiveGroup
(SAG). SAGs are known to involve close interaction between whales, which may include playful or reproductive behavior + can be anywhere from two to 40 whales!
📸: NMFS Permit
#25739
Meet Reggae, our Atlantic harbor seal! Part of our training program includes asking the our animals to participate in their own healthcare, so please enjoy this tooth brushing session with Reggae!
#VirtualVisit
#AquariumFromHome