Saturday, July 4, 2015

New England Aquarium (Boston, United States of America)


After visiting a number of zoos and aquariums, it occurred to me that many, if not most, choose at least one cute or charismatic animal to serve as the “face” of the institution.  Interestingly, at New England Aquarium, the star of the aquarium was not a fish, but a bird.  On its’ advertising brochures, on the visitor guide map, various signs, and even the cards handed out by the photo concession, cute penguins were very prominent.  In fact, at the time of my visit in late May 2015, the theme printed on the giant banners outside the entrance read: “Penguinology: Explore the Secret World of Penguins”.

Penguinology
Most of the first floor of this four-story aquarium was dedicated to penguin displays.  There were three species of penguin exhibited: African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus), Southern Rockhopper Penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome), and Little Blue Penguins (Eudyptula minor).  Each species was exhibited in what was basically a shallow pool of water with a number of artificial rock islands for the penguins to rest upon.


African Penguin exhibit



Southern Rockhopper Penguin exhibit



Aquarium staff cleaning the rocks


Aquarium visitors gathered around the African Penguin exhibit to listen to a keeper’s explanation.


The Fish Tanks
In the center of the aquarium building is a cylinder-shaped main tank.  Around this main tank is a spiral ramp walkway leading to four levels of displays.  This large tank contained a few sharks, large jacks, a couple of sea turtles, and hundreds of smaller fishes and animals. 


View of the top of the main tank as seen on the 4th floor.




Interior of main tank



There were also many smaller exhibits built into the outer walls of each floor and some smaller tanks which stood independently like the one in the below photograph.


Weedy Seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus)


One wall of the first floor housed the “Tropical gallery” of fishes from tropical waters.




Marine Mammals and Birds

In the front of the aquarium, just behind of the ticket booths, there was an exhibit of harbor seals.  This exhibit was very popular with the children, some of who ran alongside the seals as they swam back and forth along the length of this enclosure.


In the rear of the aquarium (the area closest to the harbor), there was a marine mammal center that housed Northern fur seals and sea lions.  Except for a few artificial rocks, I thought that the exhibit area resembled a hotel swimming pool.  The area was sheltered by a roof, there were no plants within the exhibit, and the concrete areas surrounding the pool were flat and sterile looking. 


Northern fur seal lounging on the cement patio.


On the second floor, there was an exhibit that replicated a New England coastal scene - complete with birds and conservation signs.





Educational Efforts
The amount of educational materials available at this aquarium is one of its strong points.  It was clear that this aquarium invested a lot of energy into providing opportunities for visitors, especially the children, to learn something about the animals on display and their environment.  Explanatory signs and displays featuring messages on conservation of the ocean environment and marine creatures were everywhere.


The signs were attractive and full of information…



…they also complemented the exhibits well.



The below three photos show some of the explanatory exhibits installed at the marine mammal center. I thought that they were eye-catching and easy-to-understand.




Opportunities for Close Animal Encounters
On the third level, there was an “Edge of the Sea Tidepool Touch Tank” where visitors could touch creatures such as starfish and horseshoe crabs.  Unfortunately, this installation was tucked into a fairly small and narrow area, and therefore only a small number of visitors at a time could approach the touch tank.  On the plus side, aquarium staff was constantly stationed here to supervise visitor interactions with the animals and to provide explanations.




Souvenir shop
The souvenir shop was very large and was stocked with a wide variety of merchandise and branded goods.


Stuffed animals


Clothes and bags


One very interesting discovery was this book containing sustainable seafood recipes.  It was very consistent with the conservation messages conveyed throughout the aquarium.


Getting There


The New England Aquarium is located in Boston’s downtown area, only three blocks from the historic Faneuil Hall Marketplace.  The aquarium brochure mentions riding the MBTA Blue line to the Aquarium stop, but since I stayed in downtown, it was only about a 15-minute walk from my hotel.  Admission was $26.95 for adults, $17.95 for children from 3 years to 11 years old, and $24.95 for senior citizens (the sign did not specify an age for seniors).  From the back of the aquarium, visitors can enjoy a very nice view of Boston harbor.



(Note: All photos taken in this post were taken during a visit on May 29, 2015.  The comments in this post are based on observations made on that day.  Conditions may have since changed.  Please check it out for yourself!)