Sea Notes

Mariachis Serenade Beluga

For the sheer fun of it: musicians with Mariachi Connecticut serenade Juno, a beluga whale at Mystic Aquarium. The musicians were performing at a wedding. Now -- understandably -- the video's going viral. Enjoy!

"Modern Family" Meets Monterey Bay Aquarium

When he's not playing emo-rocker Dylan on the Emmy Award-winning show Modern Family, actor Reid Ewing sometimes stars online in offbeat Reid*ing videos. Recently he paid a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Here's the result:

An Otter Among Penguins

Seems a former Monterey Bay Aquarium otter has found a home in New York -- at least the fictional New York zoo where the penguins from the Madagascar animated films now reside.

Her name's Marlene, and she looks a lot more like a river otter than any sea otter I've ever seen. But her original home is in Northern California, specifically here at the aquarium, according to one of the creators of The Penguins of Madagascar, a new animated series on Nickelodeon.

It's a huge hit for the network: Most-watched series premiere ever (6.1 million viewers), and already extended for 26 more episodes beyond the initial 26 that Nickelodeon ordered.

Marlene has more than a bit role in the series. Lots of buzz out there about a possible romantic connection between her and Skipper!

Hmmm, now that she's so famous, I wonder if there's any chance she'll invite Herbie Hippocampus out for a visit? She definitely should stop by Wild About Otters to see her cousins before it the exhibit closes on September 13.

Surfing Sea Turtles

With grateful thanks to Wallace J. Nichols of LIVBLUE, enjoy this wonderful video of sea turtles "surfing" over the reefs. I wish I were one of the folks snorkeling with them!

Movie of the Year?

OK, maybe not. But definitely a contender for kitsch classic of the year: Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. Described as follows:

"When two enormous prehistoric creatures contend for supremacy of the sea, the California coast becomes the setting for a showdown that's been centuries in the making."

Coming soon to a theater near you!

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Friday's Featured Film: Cuttlefish Camouflage

My son Gabriel is working on a school project about cuttlefish, and the Internet's been a great source of information -- including this video from the PBS series, Nova. There's much more online about these fascinating animals, but here's a good introduction to the Kings of Camouflage. (And a tip of the hat to the folks at Cephalopodcast for helping me & Gabriel find this!)

Where There's a Will...

The reviews are mixed, but Will Smith does give a shout out to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and our jellies exhibits in his new film, Seven Pounds. Seems his character had a memorable encounter with box jellies at the aquarium in his youth -- and a box jelly comes back to play a significant role in the plot of the movie. (Don't worry; no spoilers here!)

Timely that the film references a youthful experience during an aquarium visit. We celebrate our 25th anniversary in 2009, with a new special exhibition -- "The Secret Lives of Seahorses" -- and special activities throughout the year. Check back for updates and highlights.

Friday's Featured Film: A Song of Hope

Big shout out to Sam Fromartz at the Chews Wise blog for posting this incredible international musical effort from Playing for Change earlier in the week. It's eloquent testimony to the power of hope, of vision and collaboration -- and of music as a vehicle to touch our hearts and lift our spirits.

We humans have a lot of work to do if we're going to save the best of the natural world, including our vast living oceans. This kind of work is best done joyfully, and in concert with others. This video shows what's possible when we pull together, and this link to Bill Moyers Journal provides much of the back story (in video and a transcript on the site) from Mark Johnson of Playing for Change.

Film Friday: Shrimp a-go-go

This video, of a shrimp on a treadmill (oh yes, you read it right), has become a YouTube sensation, with many, many versions set to different soundtracks.

The scientists conducting the research are somewhat bemused by this, as their research, of course, had a scientific purpose. They wanted to understand more about the impacts of disease and illness on a shrimp's ability to be able to stay alive without becoming someone's lunch. You and I can take a day off work/school and rest up; wildlife needs to hide illness in order to survive.

Here is a shrimp in action. Couldn't resist the Benny Hill version!

Friday's Featured Film: Meet the Penguins

This weekend, is our celebration of all "feathered friends", where our guests can learn about birds such as albatross, penguins and the local efforts to recover the California condor. Today is our annual "meet the penguins" day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where lucky contest winners get some personal time with some of our black-footed penguins.

Perhaps the contest would be less popular if the penguins to meet were some of the penguin ancestors, whose fossils suggest they stood six feet tall!

But this week, researchers found evidence of a whole new - and smaller - species of penguin in a Polynesian settlement in New Zealand. This relative of the yellow-eyed penguin - one of the world's rarest penguins - has probably being extinct for the last 500 years. Conservationists are working hard to ensure that history does not repeat itself for its living cousin, featured in our Friday Film.