Shedd Aquarium Shedd Aquarium

It appears there has been some shifting in the Pacific White Sided Dolphins. From what I can tell, Shedd sent Piquet back to Miami and Miami sent Ipo to Shedd. (There was also a swap of Ohana and Catalina between Miami and SeaWorld Texas.)
 
Some really fascinating research has been done on the Pacific white-sided dolphins at Shedd, looking at the microbiome (the microbial community) of the animals and what has the greatest impact upon it.

The main study findings included:
- The provision of a probiotic had the most profound impact on the microbiome, with data suggesting the probiotic stabilised the community dynamics
- Beyond the probiotics the air the animals breathed and their diets had the biggest influence on the dolphin's microbiome, with skin-to-skin contact with animal care staff and water composition having a more minor role
- The study resulted in a 'census' of 19,000+ documented microbes in the aquarium's Abbott Oceanarium; 1.9 percent of these microbes have not been previously identified by science
- The blowhole of the dolphins provides a unique environment for microbes, including those discovered in this study that were unknown to science
- The blowhole was the only site on the dolphin's body that presented a unique microbial signature that remains common among dolphins in different habitats or wild environments (concluded by comparing samples from other facilities and wild dolphins to those at the aquarium)

More information is included on the link below:
https://phys.org/news/2018-07-environment-affects-dolphin-microbiomes-shedd.html
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Some really fascinating research has been done on the Pacific white-sided dolphins at Shedd, looking at the microbiome (the microbial community) of the animals and what has the greatest impact upon it.

The main study findings included:
- The provision of a probiotic had the most profound impact on the microbiome, with data suggesting the probiotic stabilised the community dynamics
- Beyond the probiotics the air the animals breathed and their diets had the biggest influence on the dolphin's microbiome, with skin-to-skin contact with animal care staff and water composition having a more minor role
- The study resulted in a 'census' of 19,000+ documented microbes in the aquarium's Abbott Oceanarium; 1.9 percent of these microbes have not been previously identified by science
- The blowhole of the dolphins provides a unique environment for microbes, including those discovered in this study that were unknown to science
- The blowhole was the only site on the dolphin's body that presented a unique microbial signature that remains common among dolphins in different habitats or wild environments (concluded by comparing samples from other facilities and wild dolphins to those at the aquarium)

More information is included on the link below:
https://phys.org/news/2018-07-environment-affects-dolphin-microbiomes-shedd.html
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Thank you for posting this summary and link! Very informative.
 
Updates from my visit yesterday:

  • The new dolphin show was the best one I have ever seen.
  • There appear to be some minor renovations to the sea lion exhibit.
  • The tank next to the Alligator Snapping Turtle which usually holds Cisco is closed, with a "New Exhibit Coming Soon" sign.
  • The tank in the Oceanarium which usually holds crabs is now part of Underwater Beauty and can be view from both the Oceanarium and UB. The crabs have been moved to Oceans.
  • The Giant Clams in UB were off-exhibit.
  • Are there usually Blue Neon Tetras in the "green" tank at UB?
  • What's with the awful viewing on UB's Sexy Shrimp tank?
  • I did the Behind-The-Scenes Tour and it was amazing!
  • The Upsidedown Jellies in Wild Reef were off-exhibit.
  • Saw the new Kelp Forest tank in Oceans. It's pretty nice.
  • The blue American Lobster has been replaced with a calico lobster.
 
A couple of questions:

Does the aquarium no longer keep nautalis? I didn't see any anywhere and they weren't signed at their usual spot in Wild Reef. Also, what happened to the iguanas? I saw some of the bts tour but none on exhibit.
 
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Does anyone know if they did away with the $8 admission tickets to just see Caribbean Reef, Amazon Rising, and Waters of the World? I can't find any reference to these on the website.
 
Coelacanth18 said:
Does anyone know if they did away with the $8 admission tickets to just see Caribbean Reef, Amazon Rising, and Waters of the World? I can't find any reference to these on the website.
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https://www.google.com/amp/s/urbanmatter.com/chicago/shedd-aquarium-admission/amp/

This worried me last time I visited. I thought I messed up purchasing tickets online when I didn't get my wristband to see the special exhibits. Even left the ticket entry point to ask guest services about it because I was afraid to "sneak" into the Wild Reef.
 
Moebelle said:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/urbanmatter.com/chicago/shedd-aquarium-admission/amp/

This worried me last time I visited. I thought I messed up purchasing tickets online when I didn't get my wristband to see the special exhibits. Even left the ticket entry point to ask guest services about it because I was afraid to "sneak" into the Wild Reef.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. Personally, I find that to be a very frustrating change. It is simpler to understand and police, but it also means that non-families (like me) who are satisfied with paying a lot less to just see the countless tanks are now SOL and have to pony up $40 for any visit. It almost feels less accessible because now it costs all adults a minimum of $20 to visit regardless of what they want to see... I imagine that could mean more families, but less of everyone else.
 
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