Cetaceans in Mixed Species Exhibits

[Hipporex]

The species depends on when you visited, but in recent years they’ve kept a ringed seal in with the belugas (I saw it this summer).

SeaWorld Orlando has, on occasion, mixed harp seal with their belugas, but it’s very infrequent and I was lucky to see it several years ago. The harp seal is normally kept behind the scenes.

Georgia Aquarium keeps harbor seals with their belugas.

You got to see Natchek the ringed seal? Lucky. I wanted to see him when I visited recently but he was been behind the scenes.

 

[Great Argus]

There was definitely only one pilot whale when I was there. However, they appear to have kept more in the past (I've found pictures of four animals in San Diego).

It appears the other three died though in the last couple years:

Shadow in September 2018 (https://seaworld.com/san-diego/blog/seaworld-remembers-shadow-the-pilot-whale/)
Bubbles in 2016 (SeaWorld’s beloved pilot whale dies)
Sully in 2012 (Op-Ed: Pilot whale 'Sully' dies at SeaWorld San Diego (Includes interview))
This leaves only Argo who arrived from Japan in 2012

Also here is a picture of Argo and Sandy:

Ah, I see why I was confused now. I saw Argo and Shadow last December, and hadn't heard Shadow passed. Thus I still thought they had two.

 

[Hyak_II]

Here are some of the recent-ish mixed cetacean exhibits I can think of the top of my head (some are no longer exhibiting, and I'll repeat some already mentioned):

Vancouver:
Orca and pacific white sided dolphin
Pacific white sided dolphin and pseudorca
Beluga and harbour porpoise

Marineland of Canada:
Bottlenose and California Sea Lion (rarely)

Six Flags:
Orca and bottlenose dolphin

Seaworld San Diego:
Pilot Whale and bottlenose dolphin
Common and bottlenose dolphins
Commersons dolphin and beluga
Harp, ringed, and harbour seals with beluga

Seaworld San Antonio:
Beluga and pacific white sided dolphin

Gulf World Marine Park:
Rough Toothed Dolphin and Bottlenose
Rough toothed dolphin and California sea lion (not often)

Seaworld Orlando:

Bottlenose dolphin, pilot whale, and pseudorca
Beluga with harp and harbour seals

Dolphin Research Center:
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin and bottlenose

Mote Marine Labratory:
Pantropical Spotted Dolphin and Spinner Dolphin

Either the Pittsburgh zoo or national aquarium (can't remember which right now):
Amazon River Dolphin and Alligator Gar

Nuremberg Zoo:
Bottlenose dolphin and California Sea Lion

 

[ThylacineAlive]

When I visited SeaWorld San Diego last January they had Harbor Seal mixed with Beluga. The Ringed Seal is usually on-exhibit but unsigned. It was in with the nearby Harbor Seals on my visit but they rotate the seals around a lot so on @jayjds2's visit it was with the Beluga. They still had two pilot whales when I visited, and thus they were separate from the dolphins. They also keep a hybrid common dolphin mixed with the bottlenose.

Mystic Aquarium keeps Beluga and Harbor Seals together.

Duisburg Zoo keeps their river dolphin with guppies.

~Thylo

 

[Great Argus]

When I visited SeaWorld San Diego last January they had Harbor Seal mixed with Beluga. The Ringed Seal is usually on-exhibit but unsigned. It was in with the nearby Harbor Seals on my visit but they rotate the seals around a lot so on @jayjds2's visit it was with the Beluga.

~Thylo

Slightly off topic, but anyone know how often the Ringed Seal is on display? And usually with the Beluga or the Harbor Seals? Or is it just look to try and find him in one or the other?

 

[jayjds2]

Slightly off topic, but anyone know how often the Ringed Seal is on display? And usually with the Beluga or the Harbor Seals? Or is it just look to try and find him in one or the other?

When I visited the curator told me it was always on exhibit, and although he mentioned it being with the seals I saw it with the belugas. So I guess you just need some time and patience to find it.

 

[RatioTile]

Umi no Mori Aquarium in Sendai, Japan keeps a Narrow-Ridged Finless Porpoise with small sharks, rays, and schooling fish.

 

[ralph]

Duisburg used to keep beluga whales with commerson's dolphins (in a very tiny pool)

 

[Westcoastperson]

Yes, Pacific White-sided Dolphins.

Did Sea World San Diego also have seals mixed with their Beluga or am I misremembering?

@Maguari SeaWorld San Diego keeps there belugas and some of there seals in "Wild Arctic." However, they're kept in two separate tanks, one right next to the other

The species depends on when you visited, but in recent years they’ve kept a ringed seal in with the belugas (I saw it this summer).

SeaWorld Orlando has, on occasion, mixed harp seal with their belugas, but it’s very infrequent and I was lucky to see it several years ago. The harp seal is normally kept behind the scenes.

Georgia Aquarium keeps harbor seals with their belugas.

Seaworld San Diego:
Pilot Whale and bottlenose dolphin
Common and bottlenose dolphins
Commersons dolphin and beluga
Harp, ringed, and harbour seals with beluga

Slightly off topic, but anyone know how often the Ringed Seal is on display? And usually with the Beluga or the Harbor Seals? Or is it just look to try and find him in one or the other?

Ok so I've talked to cast members about this before so here is what I know. The Comersons dolphins were originally kept with the beluga but were bullied so they had to be moved. The harbor and ringed seals were also kept with the belugas at one point. I believe the cause for their move was also bullying but now I'm doubting myself. They were kept off exhibit until their polar bear was moved to Pittsburg for breeding so they replaced her with the seals. Natcheck is always on exhibit with the rest of the seals.
As for the pilot whales. They are all rescues taken in by Seaworld rescue after strandings. I believe they currently have two (not 100% sure). They have no common dolphins right now but they do have a spinner dolphin at dolphin stadium.
SeaWorld also has golden salmon with their orcas occasionally but they are for food enrichemnt

 

[Zorro]

I believe that the Windsor Safari park in the UK use to keep dolphins in with its Killer whale back in the 70s. @Pertinax

 

[Hyak_II]

Ok so I've talked to cast members about this before so here is what I know. The Comersons dolphins were originally kept with the beluga but were bullied so they had to be moved. The harbor and ringed seals were also kept with the belugas at one point. I believe the cause for their move was also bullying but now I'm doubting myself. They were kept off exhibit until their polar bear was moved to Pittsburg for breeding so they replaced her with the seals. Natcheck is always on exhibit with the rest of the seals.
As for the pilot whales. They are all rescues taken in by Seaworld rescue after strandings. I believe they currently have two (not 100% sure). They have no common dolphins right now but they do have a spinner dolphin at dolphin stadium.
SeaWorld also has golden salmon with their orcas occasionally but they are for food enrichemnt

As it stands, San Diego doesn't actually have any mixed species groupings now, broadly speaking, barring two exceptions.

Currently, they maintain a group of four (2.2) short finned pilot whales. All the animals are rescues. They maintain them in the dolphin stadium, however they are housed in their own group, and do no mix with the dolphins. For a period of time they only had one male, so he was housed in a social group with a young male pacific bottlenose, and an older female atlantic bottlenose. However once the new animals came in from Orlando in 2019, the mix was stopped.

The Belugas and Seals should still be mixed periodically.

San Diego doesn't have any spinner dolphins. The last captive spinner dolphin in the US died several years ago, at a facility in Florida. San Diego does, however, house a single female Common x Atlantic Bottlenose hybrid. She live in the show stadium with all their other performing dolphins.

 

[Great Argus]

Currently, they maintain a group of four (2.2) short finned pilot whales. All the animals are rescues. They maintain them in the dolphin stadium, however they are housed in their own group, and do no mix with the dolphins. For a period of time they only had one male, so he was housed in a social group with a young male pacific bottlenose, and an older female atlantic bottlenose. However once the new animals came in from Orlando in 2019, the mix was stopped.

I thought they were down to two, I recall hearing about one death at least.

 

[Westcoastperson]

San Diego doesn't have any spinner dolphins. The last captive spinner dolphin in the US died several years ago, at a facility in Florida. San Diego does, however, house a single female Common x Atlantic Bottlenose hybrid. She live in the show stadium with all their other performing dolphins.

Your right I went through some old photos and it does appear to be related to an Atlantic Common dolphin.
I don't think they still mix the seals and belugas anymore. every time I have gone since the Polar bears left the seals have been in a separate exhibit.