Shedd Aquarium Shedd Aquarium

Two marine mammals are expecting:

Piquet, a Pacific white-sided dolphin, is due in May. The father is a male who lives at Miami Seaquarium. Piquet spent some months there in order to get pregnant. This will be her first calf.

Mauyak, a beluga, is also pregnant and is due between September and November. This will be her third calf. The father is Naluark who is currently living at Mystic Aquarium so as to reproduce with the females that live there.

Shedd Aquarium is Expecting a Dolphin and Beluga Whale Birth this Year Zoo and Aquarium Visitor News
 
I recently purchased a Shedd Aquarium guide book (reprint from 1950 but barely changed from the inaugural 1933 first edition) and some of the statistics are amazing.

- Admission used to be free three days of the week and only 25 cents on the remaining 4 days.

- Attendance in 1931 was almost 4.7 million!!!

- Attendance on May 21, 1931 was almost 80,000, and the aquarium was at the time a single building and its square footage was much smaller than it is these days.

- There were a staggering 138 exhibits within the 6 galleries, plus 1 large pool with many turtles, plus another 65 tanks in a separate, "Oriental-themed" room. There were 96 reserve tanks in the main galleries and 80 reserve tanks in the themed room that were all off-show.

Of course since the heady days of the 1930's when the aquarium was built for just over $3 million (donated by John Graves Shedd) there has been some fantastic additions and a complete transformation of virtually everything except the exterior appearance. The Caribbean Reef, Amazon Rising, Wild Reef and the Oceanarium are all brilliant and I have long stated that perhaps Shedd is still North America's #1 aquarium and slightly ahead of both Georgia and Monterey Bay.
 
Rockhopper penguin hatched at the Shedd Aquarium :
Rockhopper Penguin Chick Hatches at Shedd Aquarium

Peng HERO

As if to say, "Hello world!" the newest Rockhopper Penguin hatchling waved its tiny wings for the camera at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. Hatched just about a month ago, the chick is thriving and growing quickly, as penguins tend to do, before guests' eyes each day: Gaining weight, eating and building relationships with its feathery neighbors on exhibit in the Polar Play Zone. The open nesting location there allows guests the rarely-seen opportunity to watch and learn about the chick as it develops and grows.

Visitors also have the unique chance to see mother and father care for the hatchling, sharing parenting responsibilities in equal shifts. The experienced parental Penguin pair is feeding the bird well, according to Ken Ramirez, Executive Vice President of animal care and training for Shedd, but there are more key milestones ahead. The chick will learn to eat on its own before acquiring waterproof plumage and diving into its swimming skills for the first time.

Peng 2

Peng 3

Peng CU
Photo Credit: Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez

Keepers observe and weigh the bird daily. Born at 75 grams, the chick gains approximately 40 grams per day and is now at a healthy weight of 1,019 grams. The gender of the chick has yet to be determined. It is difficult to identify gender in penguins without genetic testing, as there is no observable difference in male and female anatomy. Watch as the Penguin chick interacts with its trainer below:
Source : Zooborns
 
Laguna, Shedd's rescued 1 1/2 year old male sea lion pup, has now started to go on exhibit in the Abbott Oceanarium according to thetir google plus account.
 
I just uploaded 50 new photos to the Shedd Aquarium gallery for those that are interested.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top