SEA LIFE Celebrates Turtle Fest

SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium will be celebrating Turtle Fest May 23rd- June 8th with TURTALLY awesome events throughout the aquarium starting today!

To kick-off Turtle Fest, our team will be giving Oyster, one of SEA LIFE's two Kemp's Ridley sea turtles, her annual physical. In honor of Turtle Fest, SEA LIFE wants to make sure that Oyster is in spectacular health by getting her blood work, weighing and measuring her to see how much she has grown, and checking her eyes and mouth to make sure she can live a long lasting life. 

Turtle Tidbits: Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles are the most endangered species in the world. 

Come into SEA LIFE Minnesota to celebrate Turtle Fest with our terrific turtles. 
Guests can purchase discounted admission tickets to SEA LIFE Minnesota for $9.99 ( regularly $19.99 +tax ) at TurtleFestMinnesota.com. $1.00 will be donated to The Turtle Hospital in Florida for every ticket purchased. Our TURTALLY awesome events will include a turtle quiz trail with turtle-related trivia along with an up close and personal look at a Sea Turtle's annual check up! Look out for more Turtle Tidbits in future posts. 

Sea Turtle Gains Weight

As most people try to shed off those last few pounds before the summer swimsuit season, SEA LIFE Minnesota's Giant Green Sea Turtle, Bubbles, hopes to gain weight - or a weight to be exact.

Today, Bubbles is undergoing a procedure to correct her Bubble Butt, a condition causing unwanted air to become trapped under her shell which prevents the turtle from swimming to the surface for air. The procedure involves a very strong epoxy to re-attach a customized weight to Bubbles' shell.

A similar weight was previously attached to Bubbles after she arrived at SEA LIFE Minnesota over a year ago, but last week it was dislodged after a little turtle drama in the tanks. Today's procedure involves an even stronger epoxy which will hopefully prevent it from falling off or becoming lunch for one of Bubbles' fishy friends.

Watch the procedure on our YouTube page: youtube.com/sealifemn

This Spring, SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium welcomes many new creatures to its all-new South American Rainforest Exhibit! The immersive exhibit will feature many new species of live animals including: 

• Caiman Crocodiles
• Poison Dart Frogs
• Piranha
• Freshwater Stingrays
• Tortoises
• and more!

Visit SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium this Spring to discover the Mysteries of the Rainforest!

Caiman Crocs Arrive at SEA LIFE Minnesota!

Early this morning, two Caiman Crocodiles arrived at SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium all the way from sunny Miami, Florida. As you can imagine, the climate will take a little getting used to for the two Crocodile sisters!

The Caiman will be part of a new exhibit called “Mysteries of the Rainforest"at SEA LIFE Minnesota, which will be replacing the current “Minnesota Woods”area. Stay tuned for more information on what exotic creatures to expect when the new exhibit opens this Spring!

Watch the video below to check-out the arrival of the Caiman Crocodiles:

Another Kardashian Abandons Minnesota

Following in Kim’s Foot Steps: 

Swim Kardashian is leaving SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium to 

head south and take Texas

After a short 34 week relationship with Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium, Swim Kardashian, a Giant Green Sea Turtle, is following in her “sisters” foot steps by leaving Minnesota for good. It turns out Swim didn’t want to settle down here either. She is heading south to SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium in Texas. There are several sea turtles at SEA LIFE Minnesota and Swim is looking forward to living the single life at SEA LIFE Grapevine.  

Swim Kardashian arrived at SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium in March 2011 and received her name for being one of the new “Celebrity turtles” here at the aquarium. Swim has a condition called a “bubble butt” because air gets under the shell and gathers by her butt. A weight patch is added to her shell to help her to swim properly.

Swim also gained some weight when she started here in March, so now she is working on slimming down with a salad diet to prepare herself for being the hot new turtle in Texas.

An Intern's Perspective

When I tell people I am working as an intern at SEA LIFE Minnesota, their response is usually “what a fun place to work” - and they are right about that! This summer, I had the privilege of working with the marketing and group sales departments, as well as other college interns.
Consequently, I have many new SEA LIFE facts up my sleeve, such as: sea stars eat by moving their stomachs out of their bodies and horse shoe crabs can survive one year without eating. Let me share with you some of the highlights of the SEA LIFE marketing internship.


ANIMALS, ANIMALS, ANIMALS!
You might be doing offsite events with Cub Foods and teaching families about shark jaws, shells, horseshoe crabs, pencil sea urchins and chocolate chip sea stars. You could be in the office writing a blog about the SEA STAR of the week, conservation or your internship experience. Or you could be working with animals as an animal husbandry intern (or displays as we call it). Patrick, a senior from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said his favorite part of the Displays Internship is the daily interactions with the animals and his scuba diving experience in SEA LIFE’S Atlantis Exhibit. His favorite animal at the aquarium is Lola, the shark ray, for the simple fact that she is cool to look at and has a lot of personality.


YOU WILL GET TO KNOW THE MALL AND ITS EMPLOYEES!
You could be running a coupon contest for the mall tenants and reward the winner with a breakfast or gift cards. You might be refilling coupons or replacing stickers within the mall and Nickelodeon Universe. Or you could go from store to store to let the employees know they get in for FREE.


YOU WILL WORK WITH THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT AND OTHER INTERNS!
You will be working on team projects with the marketing department such as planning and promoting an event, designing a flyer, or establishing partnerships with hotels in the area. All of the interns will work on various things together such as designing a hotel window display, surveying guests, or creating Sharky videos (we definitely had fun filming those).


My advice for future SEA LIFE interns would be to have an open mind and a good attitude because it will only make your experience better. Another important thing to remember is always treat your internship as if it’s your career because many of SEA LIFE's current employees started as interns.


I can assure you that your SEA LIFE intern experience will look great on your resume and you’ll enjoy it too! To find out more information go to http://www.visitsealife.com/about-us/careers.aspx Candidates must receive college credit.

*I had to say goodbye to the turtles on my last day!!

-KS
SEA LIFE Marketing Intern, from Concordia University- St. Paul

Photography Tips for Your Visit to the Aquarium

Anyone who's been to an aquarium knows exactly how hard it is to get a good picture of the sea creatures! We've put together a list of tips to help you get exactly the shot you want.

• Use a digital camera. You can check how your picture turned out right away.
• Turn the flash off! In a lot of exhibits, the tanks are already lit in the way that best shows off all the animals and coral inside. If you do use the flash, pay attention to any flash restrictions that might be posted.
• Use a faster shutter speed - some of our animals can swim pretty fast, you don't want them to look like a blur as they speed by!
• Try to take the shot straight on. Weird angles through the tank glass can distort the image or show reflections.
• The SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium is quieter during the evening, so if you come then, you'll have more time to perfect your shot.

We'd love to see your favorite pictures! Share them on our Facebook page.

Juvenile Nurse Shark Moves into Rainbow Reef

It's been a big day here at the SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium! After rescuing a juvenile Nurse Shark from the aquarium at a recently closed local restaurant, we released her into the Rainbow Reef Tank to swim among the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles, French Angelfish and  Brown-banded Bamboo Sharks - just to name a few!

While this Nurse Shark is only about two feet long right now, she may grow to be up to ten feet long, and live to be well into her twenties. Since Nurse Sharks are generally nocturnal animals, the Rainbow Reef Tank will provide her with lots of ledges and crevices that she can rest under during the daytime, before becoming more active and exploring her new tank.

Our Animal Expert and Displays Curator, Carly Byrns, said that the shark " seems like she's doing really well in her new home, and is adjusting to living with her new roommates. We're excited to have her here and are looking forward to seeing her become accustomed to life at the aquarium,".

Remember, even though a shark may seem like a fun pet, they require a lot of attention additional to what your average aquarium creature needs! This includes a 2,000 gallon tank (at least), to garuantee that the shark has enough space to live and grow. Also, sharks should be fed good quality frozen food, not the fish flakes you feed the rest of your aquarium fish. Here at the aquarium, our sharks get restaurant quality food on a regular basis!

Watch the video below of the Nurse Shark moving in!

Protect our Oceans

Just because we live in Minnesota, and need to travel thousands of miles to even see the ocean, does not mean there is nothing we can do to help save it! 

What most people don’t realize is how dependent we are upon the ocean. According to national geographic, the ocean regulates the climate and gives us more than half the oxygen we need. At SEA LIFE, we want to reward our Facebook fans for their conservational efforts. So, what can we do to protect our oceans? Here is a list of ideas for your story, video, and picture entries for our latest Facebook contest:

• Leave the car at home and take public transportation instead
• Make conscious energy choices at home and work
• Switch to fluorescent light bulbs
• Use a fan or blanket rather than oversetting your thermostat
• Choose seafood that is sustainable
• Switch to reusable bags to save on plastic products
• Recycle
• Participate in beach clean-ups
• Donate money to an environmental organization
• Volunteer

The truth is: each one of us (including myself) has habits that we can change in order to help protect the ocean and its marine life. YOU can make a difference!!

Click here for more information about our current Facebook contest. By participating in any of the above conservational efforts, or coming up with something on your own, you will be entereted to win the perfect prize pack for the ultimate Conservational Advocate: 4 SEA LIFE passes, a guided tour through the aquarium, a behind-the-scenes tour, and a meet and greet with our animal curator!

-KS

Welcome Bubbles!

Thanks to the help of all our awesome Facebook fans, we officially have a name for our Green Sea Turtle! From now on, you'll be able to find Bubbles in the Atlantis exhibit in the ocean tunnel. Come by the SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium to see how she's settling into her new home with the other sea turtles, sharks and stingrays!

Help name the Green Sea Turtle

This morning, our Green Sea Turtle narrowed her name options down to three choices - Seemore, Bubbles, and Sweet Pea. Now, it's up to our Facebook fans to decide!

We posted a poll on our Facebook page for our fans to vote on the name they like best! The most popular choice will be our sea turtle's new name. Tell your friends about the poll so they can join in too!

The last day to cast your vote will be Wednesday, June 29th. The poll will close at noon so be sure to get your votes in soon! We can't wait to see what you pick!

After the top three names had been selected, our turtle was released into the Atlantis exhibit to join her sea friends after a long recovery.

She was greeted at the entrance by Calypso, the Aquarium's largest turtle, and seemed to really enjoy interacting with the other creatures!

We are excited to have her on display, and are really looking forward to the name that you will choose! "Like" our Facebook page and cast your vote by the 29th to be included in the fun!

Green Sea Turtle gets to pick her own name

A few months ago, SEALIFE Minnesota Aquarium welcomed two Green Sea Turtles into our family, hoping to get them into the tank for everyone to see right away. Unfortunately, at the scheduled time of release, one had an infection that meant she couldn't join her friends in the Atlantis exhibit. Now, after weeks of treatment, she is ready to join the other Green Sea Turtle, sharks and sawfish in her new home!

But first, she needs a name! During her stay here, she's been known by many different nicknames to our visitors and staff, but we think it's time that she's officially named, and we need your help!

Here's what's going to happen: on Thursday morning, the Green Sea Turtle will be offered six special lettuce treats, each representing a name choice. The first three "names" she eats will then go to our Facebook fans for the final decision.  By Thursday afternoon, fans will be able to participate in the poll to select her final name.

If you want to help but you're not a fan yet, click this link to go to our Facebook page and "like" us!

The Human Doing - Snorkeling at SEALIFE

In March, Scott from St. Paul participated in Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota’s “Let me see you move" campaign. For one month, he lived in a glass apartment in the Mall of America, trying to show observers how to live a healthier lifestyle. During his sixth day living at the mall, Scott came to the SEALIFE Minnesota Aquarium to snorkel in the Rainbow Reef tank with over 65 types of tropical fish! Watch the video below to see how much fun he had!



If you would like to snorkel in the tanks like Scott did, check out our website SEALIFE Minnesota Aquarium, email groupsales@minnesotaaquarium.com, or call 952-853-0612. We look forward to hearing from you!

Building Ray Lagoon

In March, 2011, Underwater Adventures reopened as SEALIFE Minnesota Aquarium. Check out this awesome video of the construction of Ray Lagoon, which holds Cownose Stingrays, Atlantic species of Guitarfish and Honeycomb rays!

Stay Tuned!

Come back soon to learn more about some of the 10,000 sea creatures at the SEALIFE Minnesota Aquarium from the experts on our team!