Sharky's fun-filled weekend!

Sharky's got another busy weekend ahead of him! Tomorrow (Saturday, June 18th), he'll be spending the day at Cub Foods in Eagan, with some of the animals from our Rockpool! Visitors will be able to learn all about some of our sea creatures here at SEALIFE Minnesota Aquarium, including Chocolate Chip Sea Stars and Horseshoe Crabs! It's also a great way to pick up some coupons for your next visit to the aquarium!


On Sunday, June 19th, Cub Foods will be bringing Sharky and the gang to Como Park for a free picnic! The event will run between 11am - 2pm at the East Picnic Pavilions at Como Park. There will be plenty of delicious food, races and games! 

Can't wait to see you there!

PS- if you haven't voted on our Green Sea Turtle's name yet, go to our Facebook Page, "Like" us, and tell us what you think!
We're trying to decide between Seemore, Bubbles and Sweet Pea! Which is your favorite? Check out the previous blog post to learn more about her story!

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!

Horseshoe Crabs at the Shoreline

If you come by the Shoreline at SEALIFE Minnesota Aquarium, you'll get to see some of our coolest looking sea creatures! Or, if you stop at the Rockpool, you can touch one! Horseshoe Crabs often cause a lot of confusion when people see them, because we call them a Crab, they look like a Stingray, but they're actually more closely related to a Scorpian!

In the wild, they live in shallow, warm coastal waters, and have bodies unlike most animals you've ever seen before. They have ten eyes in total, all used for different things! Some detect light, some help it to find a mate, and some help orient the Horseshoe Crab while it swims. They also have blue, copper based blood, unlike our red, iron based blood. Horseshoe Crabs have existed for millions of years with out evolving, and one of the reasons they have survived against predators for so long is because they can go up to one year without eating!

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!

Sharky's heading to Saint Paul!

Don't forget to come see Sharky and some of his friends from the aquarium tomorrow, June 11th at Cub Foods in Midway, Saint Paul! They'll be there from 11AM until 3PM and will have lots of cool artifacts, tons of coupons and even a few animals that you can touch! See you there!

EELectricity at SEALIFE Minnesota!

Wednesday, June 8th was World Ocean Day and we decided to celebrate by using renewable energy to oxygenate one of our tanks!  Early on Wednesday morning, we hooked the oxygen pump in the Green Moray Eel tank up to a really cool bike we borrowed from Heritage Middle School, and tried to save energy by making our own. The bike is hooked up to a battery, and when someone rides the bike, it generates enough electricity to charge the battery and run the oxygen pump! Throughout the morning, students from the middle school and some of our employees rode the bike, keeping the water fresh for all the sea creatures inside.

We also learned a lot about what we can do to help protect the animals that live in the oceans. For example, did you know that leaving your cellphones and computers plugged in to charge overnight releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which, in excess, can damage the coral reefs? Or, that if you cut your shower time by just one or two minutes, you could save 150 gallons of water each month?

If we all took a little less time in the shower and only charged our cell phones for a couple hours each day, we could do a lot to help all the sea creatures and their environments!

Lionfish in the Caribbean Tank

Along with Green Moray Eels and Hawaiian Pacific Triggerfish, the Caribbean Tank at SEALIFE Minnesota Aquarium  is home to one of the most venomous fish in the oceans - the Lionfish. In the wild, Lionfish are native to the Indo-Pacific, but in the 1900s, they were introduced into the Atlantic Ocean and can now be found along the east coast of the United States.

Their venomous tentacles and lightning-fast reflexes make them excellent predators, and they often spread their pectoral fins (like in the picture above) to help herd small fish and shrimp into a more confined space, making it easier to catch them. Lionfish are overpopulating many of the areas they live in because they reproduce extremely fast and can live to be up to 16 years old!

First Weekend of Sharky's Cub Foods Summer Tour!

Sharky had an amazing weekend visiting our first two stores of the summer tour!

Hey everybody! Sharky here to tell you all about my awesome weekend at the opener for my Cub Foods Summer Tour! On Saturday, I visited a Cub Foods store in Shakopee where I was greeted by some awesome staff members and had some great interactions with the customers and guests. On Sunday, I paid a visit to another Cub Foods store in St. Louis Park to hang out with customers outside with the SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium team. I got to show kids and families how to touch live animals in our sea creature tank and helped introduce some unique artifacts which I thought was fantastic!

It was a great kick off to Sharky's Cub Foods Summer Tour and I'm very excited to visit my next store in Midway, St. Paul this Saturday June 11th at 11:00AM!

Hope to see everyone there!

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!

Cownose Stingray in Ray Lagoon

One of the many animals in the Ray Lagoon at the SEALIFE Minnesota Aquarium is the Cownose Stingray. They can be found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Carribean Sea, and can have a wingspan of up to three feet long, and can weigh as much as 50 pounds!

These rays use their fins to stir up sediment on the ocean floor to expose the crabs and other shellfish that they like to eat. As their fins break the surface of the water when they swim, they are often mistaken for shark fins!

If you want to watch the Cownose Stingrays being fed, you can see the feedings at the Ray Lagoon several times a week! Come by the exhibit at 11:30AM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, or Saturdays at 1:30PM.