Which Evolved First: The Jelly or the Sponge? Recent genetics research debunked a widely-accepted hypothesis that sponges evolved first. Published May 17, 2017 Biologists and geneticists from Vanderbilt University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison partnered to investigate the evolutionary history of jellies and sponges, and found that jellies evolved before sponges. Previous research hinged upon biologists’ understanding of the tree of life—actually called the phylogenetic tree—that shows when different organisms evolved over time, and how closely they’re related to one another. According to the tree of life model, animals are related based on
So You Want to be a Marine Scientist The marine science field offers lots of important and fascinating career opportunities—from exploring the ocean to addressing climate change, and developing new drugs to caring for aquatic animals and habitats. Knowing where to start can be a challenge, so we’ve compiled some resources to help! LEARN MORE From Charm City to Light City Light City, the first large-scale festival of light, music and innovation in the United States, is set to make its stunning return to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and neighborhoods throughout the city from March 31
Vote for National Aquarium Best Aquarium A walk through the National Aquarium, located in a beautiful Baltimore waterfront park, takes guests on a journey around the world. Australian exhibits showcase crocodiles, fruit bats, snapping turtles and venomous snakes, while the tropical rain forest habitat houses sloths, tamarins, tarantulas and a variety of colorful birds. The aquarium is in the process of launching the nation’s first sanctuary for bottlenose dolphins. VOTE HERE
More Than Meets the Eye Researchers now know that the white-and-black splotches that give spotted eagle rays their common name form a pattern unique to each individual animal! This was determined using photo identification, which has also been used to show the individual qualities of humpback whales’ flukes and great white sharks’ dorsal fins. READ MORE Upcoming Events 22 FEBRUARY 22, 2017 • 6:30 PM – 9 PM Member Evening 25 MARCH 25, 2017 • 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM Project Clean Stream at Masonville Cove 1 APRIL 1, 2017 • 9 AM – 2
Another season of the Read to Reef book club with Enoch Pratt Free Library started March 1! Read to Reef Returns The Read to Reef program offers free admission to the Aquarium for participating Baltimore children up to fifth grade with a Pratt Library card. Children read five aquatic-themed books to gain free admission to the Aquarium for themselves and up to three guests! START READING LEARN+MORE Baby Cockatiels in Australia! Three cockatiel chicks have hatched in our Australia: Wild Extremes exhibit! Weighing just two grams at birth, the chicks are now close to 90
The National Aquarium community is mourning the loss of Nani, the oldest of our Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. Late Monday afternoon, Nani began to exhibit unusual behavior. Although our animal care team responded and provided emergency care immediately, Nani was unable to recover and passed away on Monday evening. Efforts are underway to determine her cause of death. At approximately 44 years of age, Nani was the matriarch of the dolphins residing at the National Aquarium and the mother of Spirit and Beau. We feel so fortunate to have had Nani in our lives, and we
Chesapeake Bay Shows Signs of Health Published February 01, 2017 A report released last month shows the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay is better than it has been in decades! The Chesapeake Bay, the nation’s largest estuary, is evaluated every two years by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s State of the Bay report. Scientists compile data for 13 indicators in three major categories: pollution, habitat and fisheries. In this year’s report, 9 of the 13 indicators showed improvement from the last report and each of the three categories improved overall! The continued improvement of the
