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Whether they're floating, sliding, or just being their mischievous selves, these adorably aquatic, pawesome pals never fail to bring joy to our musteliday.
It’s time to unleash your inner otter and join us in a round of ap-paws in celebrocean of World Otter Day!
🎵Birding time, come on grab your friends We’ll go to very coastal lands With some shorebirds and even seabirds The fun will never end, it’s birding time! 🎵
It’s the perfect season for birding! So grab your friends and get ready for a time of adventure. You can enjoy spotting birds from the comfort of your home, by a window or on a planned hike to your favorite spot. We also have some tips for you to help you have an unbeaklievably good time—so that you don’t just have to wing it. Check out the link below for more info!
From sea goddesses to siphonophores, our Jellies Team has done an incredible job sharing the ocean’s gelatinous gems with our guests and followers—especially since these delicate drifters are some of the trickiest tenants to tend to.
Check out our latest web story for a behind-the-scenes look at how they managed to crack the code of comb jelly culturing and brought jellies to us all! https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/stories/growing-jellies
🎶 What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and watch out for me?
👀 Watch out! Snowy plovers are arriving on our shores from their annual migrations, ready to nest on open beaches and dunes. Low-fuss, no-muss experts, those nests are really just delicate depressions in the sand—sometimes even in a divot left behind by a human footprint!
🧐 These skittish shorebirds are currently listed as a threatened species due to habitat loss because of human disturbances. Snowy plover nesting season occurs during the summer months when people visit beaches the most. Adult snowy plovers scurry away when their nests are approached, and it may be hours before they can return. While they’re away, their eggs can be crushed, overheat in the sun, or become a meal for a watchful predator.
💙 You can help our snowy friends get by next time you’re enjoying some fun in the sun by keeping your four-legged friends on a leash, staying out of areas that are blocked off as bird nesting sites, and keeping beaches clean by picking up trash that might attract plover predators. Share the shore and keep an eye out on your next beach walk for a glimpse of these charming chums!
From penguins to plovers, sea otters to sea bass—we’re proud to partner with so many seariously awesome organizations working to protect endangered species.
This year shellebrates 50 years of the Endangered Species Act! That’s 50 years of our collective community taking action to make sure the beautiful biodiversity of our planet endures for future generations.
Together, we have the resources, tools, and community needed to protect these amazing animals. 💪🌍💙
Wednesday Wisdom from a Canada goose: Get outside and take a gander.
(Disclaimer: To clarify, we mean “enjoy the view.” Please don’t harass the wildlife—no need for any wild goose chases!)
Welcome to the world, little pup! 😍
After giving birth, harbor seal moms stay with their blubbery brood to nurse them, and teach them how to swim and hunt. These seal mom and pup pairs will also snooze and snuggle in the sand. Congratulations, mama seal—you’re shore doing a swell job!
Spring brings the joy of seeing migratory birds soaring through the sky, nesting by the shore, and daintily dining on delicious delights along the dunes.
In celebration of this beautiful bird day, we have a little treat for you! Enjoy some soothing sea sounds and brilliant beach birding moments with our newest bird relaxocean video on YouTube.
What would a humpback whale sing on hump day?
🎵🐋🎵
Woah, we’re halfway there
Woah-oh, leapin’ in the air
Take my fluke, we'll make it, I swear
Woah-oh, the weekend’s nearly here
In this special collabor-ocean with Chillhop Music artist Sleepy Fish, we’ve got two hours of ambient lofi hip hop beats featuring your favorite Open Sea fronds. Take ten with the tuna, relax with the rays, and settle down with the sardines—the perfect addition to a second screen or TV while you work/study/unwind.
Pretty in pink, the Hopkins rose nudibranch is found in tide pools along the California coast. This sea slug belongs to a group of animals related to snails, but with no shell to protect their “naked gills.” Instead, the beautiful bold colors of the nudibranch serve as a warning to potential predators: “Back off, I’m toxic!”
It’s time to feast —but do you twist yourself in a knot like a hagfish when it’s time for dindin? As one of just two living species of jawless fish, hagfish are a sight to behold when they scavenge food on the deep seafloor. Share some love for these wriggly friends as they tear off tasty morsels. Bon Appetit!😋
Sea angels (Clione sp.) recently returned to Into the Deep/En lo Profundo. Be shore to stay tuned for animal updates as you never know who you’ll meet in this ever-evolving exhibit!
Want to learn more about sea angels? Check out our video collab with SciShow!
We have some exciting updates to share about our juvenile African penguin that hatched late last November. We recently found out the sex of Gerry the chick. Results are back — she’s female!
She was named after Gerry Low-Sabado, an educator, community preservationist, and friend of the Aquarium.
We were honored to host Gerry Low-Sabado’s family for their visit with our penguin chick. We’re so excited to watch Gerry the penguin grow up, and we bray hooray on this World Penguin Day!
Curious what it takes to raise African penguins at the Aquarium? Waddle on over to raising penguin chicks at the Aquarium!
Want to learn more about Gerry Low-Sabado? Find out more here.
Taking care of ourselves while processing climate news is crucial to sustaining a long-term commitment to protecting the planet. Inspired by the work of psychotherapist and climate psychology educator Leslie Davenport, we’d like to invite you to join us in a mindful deep breathing exercise with our moon jellies! Center your well-being for you and the planet. 💚🌍
From plentiful poppy plains to succulent sweeping seas, we shore lucked out with our amazing planet. And at the heart of it is the ocean—with its exuberant ecosystems supporting abundant amounts of wildlife, both on land and in the sea!
No matter where you live, the ocean protects and provides for us all—from the air we breathe to regulating the Earth’s climate. Even the simple measures we take in our daily lives to protect the planet make a big difference, not just today, but for generations to come. You can shellebrate Earth Day with us by joining our April EcoChallenge, checking out our Earth Week webpage, or writing to your legislators to let them know about the issues that matter to you. Go outside and enjoy those wildflowers (respectfully), take a deep breath of planktonic air, and say, “Thank you!” to the ocean and our planet today (and everyday)!
Happy National Volunteer Week! 🎉
Let’s give a huge round of a-paws to our volunteers! Since 1984, this fintastic group of people has given over 4.6 million hours of their time to inspire conservation of the ocean. They’ve scrubbed exhibits, raised baby animals, stuffed envelopes, given tours, groomed rescued sea otter pups, moderated online chats, and shared the wonder of the ocean within the Aquarium and beyond its walls.
Our volunteers are the kelp to our otter, the salt to our water, the zooxanthellae to our coral—and we wouldn’t be the same without them. Thanks a gillion, volunteers!
