Watermarks Fall 2018

WINTER 2018

FEATURING FEATURING

THE ART OF IT’S A BIRD! ARTIFICIAL IT’S A PLANE!

Creating One-of-a-Kind It’s a MantisCorals Shrimp??

06 Exploring Animal Superpowers 06 PLUS PLUS

One Family’s Support Takes Many Forms Protecting Birds in 10 Baltimore and Beyond 03

A Floating Haven in the Harbor VGo Brings the Aquarium 04 to Kids Who Can’t Be Here 04

FROM THE CEO

This year, I have found myself thinking a lot about what it means to truly care for each other, our neighbors and our global community. Animal care is always our top priority here at the Aquarium, but as I look beyond our immediate walls, I am struck by the idea that now, more than ever, caring for each other can—and must—take many forms.

Fall is a special time for us to give back to our hometown by providing a variety of opportunities for locals to visit for less and to join us in creating much-needed green space throughout our city and region. Our mission to inspire conservation of the world’s aquatic treasures begins

“Now, more than ever, caring for each other can—and must— take many forms.”

right here at home; if enjoying our exhibits or fostering native habitats within the city can encourage our community to care about protecting our ocean planet, we are onto something good. In fact, with the hard work of our Aquarium Conservation Team and a lot of dedicated volunteers at our BioBlitz events, Baltimore was recently designated as the largest certified Community Wildlife Habitat in the Chesapeake region

by the National Wildlife Federation. Read about the results from our recent BioBlitz events on page three.

NATIONAL AQUARIUM INC. CHAIR Marc Bunting IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR Thomas E. Robinson VICE CHAIR Jane W. I. Droppa LIFE DIRECTOR Frank A. Gunther Jr. BOARD MEMBERS Timothy J. Adams John Bremer Keith Campbell David Churchill Céline Cousteau Poetri Deal* Colleen Dilenschneider Dr. Nancy Grasmick

Speaking of encouraging new connections, I’m excited to introduce our new friend VGo on page four. No, it’s not a new species of fish in Blacktip Reef. VGo is a remarkable telepresence robot that allows remote access to our exhibits to critically ill kids who are currently hospitalized at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and University of Maryland Children’s Hospital. Through digital connection, kids can control and steer VGo through the Aquarium, seeing everything VGo’s camera sees with a dedicated human guide

Mohannad F. Jishi Robb Merritt The Honorable Donald I. Mohler II* Joseph Nigro Shari Sant Plummer The Honorable Catherine Pugh* The Honorable Stephanie Rawlings-Blake John C. Racanelli* Jennifer W. Reynolds Dr. Enric Sala

to curate the experience along the way. We are inspired

Toby Thompson*

by the strength and perseverance of these kids and their

Chuck Tildon

families. It’s our privilege to provide this service to them.

As you check out our main feature, “Supernatural Species” on page six, think about how you could be a superhero within your community, spreading care around your corner of the world. To us, you are already superheroes, powering all that we do with your support, and for that, we are

C. Elizabeth Wagner Edward Wiese *Ex Officio

WATERMARKS CREATIVE CONTRIBUTORS EXECUTIVE EDITOR Kristin Zissel EDITORS Nabila Chami Megan Kowalski Kate Schmelyun DESIGNERS Dave Dundas Binglin Hu PHOTOGRAPHERS David Coffey Megan Conway Theresa Keil Sean Lo COPY EDITOR Chris M. Junior A copy of the National Aquarium’s financial statement is available upon written request.

Documents filed in accordance with the Maryland Charitable Organizations Solicitation Act may be obtained from the Maryland Secretary of State. © 2018 National Aquarium Inc.

grateful. Thank you for your role in making 2018 another great year for the National Aquarium. Here’s to more aquatic adventures in 2019!

With warm regards,

ACCREDITED BY

— J ohn Racanelli PRESIDENT AND CEO

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IN EVERY ISSUE

SUPERNATURAL SPECIES

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MEMBERS DISCOVER OUR NEW ANIMAL

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A LIGHT ON BALTIMORE BIRDS.

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EXPLORING A LIVING LABORATORY

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VGo ROBOT BRINGS THE AQUARIUM TO

FAMILY TIME

HOSPITALIZED CHILDREN.

COLOR, CREATE AND SHARE AN OCTOPUS MASK OF YOUR OWN

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STEM EXPERIENCES FOR BALTIMORE CITY STUDENTS JUST STEPS FROM OUR INNER HARBOR HOME. 10

13 ON THE COVER This female northern diamondback turtle, our state reptile, was sighted during a BioBlitz event at Masonville Cove in June.

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ABOVE Local sixth-graders learn about water quality in the Inner Harbor through the Aquarium’s What Lives in the Harbor program.

PHOTOGRAPH BY THERESA KEIL

AQUARIUM NEWS

An Eye-Opening Experience Members come from near and far to check out the Animal Care and Rescue Center.

BY KATE SCHMELYUN Since tours of the Animal Care and Rescue Center debuted this fall, Aquarium members have been the first to learn about quarantine procedures, test water samples and meet animals such as Duncan the map pufferfish and Funzo the pig-nosed turtle. Watermarks tagged along for a tour to hear members’ reactions.

Bronwyn Coltrane of Takoma Park, Maryland, toured the Center with her husband, Mike Anderson, and their daughter, Harper, 11. The family joined the Aquarium in 2011. Bronwyn said, “I found it very eye-opening to see all the work that goes on behind the scenes. As many times as I’ve been to the Aquarium, I had no idea that this kind of work happened.”

Shey Edwards of Fairfax, Virginia, has been an Aquarium member since 2011. He and his 11-year-old son, Eli, made a two-hour trek to Baltimore to check out the tour, which Eli gave a thumbs-up. “The tour was great; I hope more people get to see it,” said Shey. “Eli loves coming up here. He studies sharks and reads about sharks all the time. He’s also really into conservation; he’s raising monarchs at home right now.”

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“It’s interesting for me, because I’ve been in the area for a long time, to see how far the Aquarium has come since it opened and how the programs here have expanded,” said Dr. Dawn Goodman of Washington, D.C., a member since 1988. She was joined by her son, Shane Sauer, and his wife, Carolyn, who were visiting from Rhode Island. Shane said, “The tour was amazing; super fun and interactive.”

Retired Baltimore County teacher Barbara Newton joined the Aquarium last year and noted the Center’s value to students. “This is another wonderful educational asset added to all that the Aquarium already offers,” she said.

“Hands-on experiences like testing water for salinity levels and pH will help students understand the effects of climate change on our ocean.”

LEARN MORE

To purchase tickets for an Animal Care and Rescue Center tour, visit aqua.org/ACRC-tour.

BE LOW Aquarium members Mike Anderson, Bronwyn Coltrane and Harper Anderson test water pH levels during a recent tour of the Animal Care and Rescue Center.

PHOTO BY THERESA KEIL

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AQUARIUM NEWS

Baltimore Birds Ravens and Orioles aren’t the only birds you can spy downtown.

BY KATE SCHMELYUN From its mountains to its shores and everywhere in between, Maryland offers a rich variety of habitats for birds—to the tune of 450 species, according to the Audubon Society. Urban areas such as Baltimore City are important for native and migratory birds, and the National Aquarium is committed to making our downtown campus as bird-friendly as possible.

Birds are also thriving in South Baltimore at Masonville Cove, the nation’s first Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership.

The Aquarium hosted a daylong BioBlitz at Masonville Cove in June, during which scientists, naturalists, students, teachers, families and other volunteers worked together to identify and record as many living organisms as they could find.

In August, a bird-strike prevention graphic was installed on the Aquarium’s exterior. It’s estimated that in North America alone, as many as 1 billion birds die each year by colliding with glass. Aquarium staff and volunteers from Lights Out Baltimore monitored bird strikes on Aquarium buildings and identified where strikes are most likely to occur to determine where the graphic should be placed.

During the event, volunteers made 466 wildlife observations totaling 222 species, including 58 species of birds.

Our efforts to create healthy aquatic habitats in the Inner Harbor are also attracting feathered friends. A juvenile black-crowned night heron was spotted on the floating wetland prototype in the fall. Night herons feed on the small fishes, crustaceans and insects supported by the prototype.

WAT E R M A R K S

According to Conservation Project Manager Maura Duffy, notable birds spotted during the BioBlitz included a Baltimore oriole, bald eagle, black-crowned night heron, chimney swift, double-crested cormorant and hooded merganser.

ABOVE A juvenile black-crowned night heron feeds on Atlantic silversides which gather in large schools near the aerators of the Aquarium’s floating wetland prototype.

P H OTO BY DAV I D CO F F E Y

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WINTER 2018

AQUARIUM NEWS

Here We Go!

VGo telepresence technology brings the Aquarium to critically ill children.

BY KRISTIN ZISSEL Each year, more than 1 million people enjoy the wonder of a trip to the National Aquarium, exploring the animals and environments that make it such a special place. However, for kids receiving treatment at two of Baltimore’s most respected medical centers just blocks away, the Aquarium’s world of aquatic wonder can seem as remote as the reefs, rivers and rain forests brought to life through its exhibits— until now.

When Johns Hopkins medical student Galen Shi—then a Hopkins undergraduate—was given the opportunity to bring a special telepresence robot back to Baltimore from his time studying in China, it didn’t take him long to figure out what this dynamic technology could mean for critically ill kids.

“I spent a winter break working for ChinaBright, a medical solutions developer. They offered me a VGo robot to bring home so long as I could put it to good use,” recalls Galen. “I knew this technology had the potential to make a difference for kids enduring long-term hospitalization.”

The result was a perfect marriage of technology and compassion: Galen started the WeGo Foundation and began work on a pilot program with the National Aquarium that would allow children receiving life-saving treatment at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center to explore the Aquarium from their hospital beds. Through wireless technology, kids can steer VGo—a 20-pound, 4-foot, motorized robot equipped with a camera, screen and smooth, rolling wheels—around the Aquarium’s exhibits, seeing what VGo’s camera sees, hearing what VGo’s sensors pick up, moving at will and even interacting with other guests. A WeGo project volunteer manages the connection on the hospital side; two Aquarium staff keep things rolling in the Aquarium, one acting as tour guide while the other helps WeGo guests navigate and engage with interested guests.

According to Dani Saks, an Aquarium Tours and Experiences specialist adept at managing the VGo experience, the child at the controls is in the driver’s seat, selecting which exhibits to visit from a list of options and controlling all other aspects of the experience as they might if they were visiting the Aquarium in person.

WAT E R M A R K S

“Our WeGo guests choose what we see, how long we linger at an exhibit, how close we get and where we go next. We can have conversations and experience the exhibits in real time, but some of the most remarkable interactions have happened between our WeGo guests and other Aquarium guests,” says Dani. Galen agrees, recounting an experience where the child operating VGo clicked with a curious child in the Aquarium. The two then spent several minutes exploring together.

“This experience gives kids some intellectual stimulation and some autonomy at a time when they have little control over their day,” says Dani.

Regular VGo sessions are now being scheduled for kids at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and at University of Maryland Children’s Hospital. Galen hopes that the program’s popularity will translate to other cultural experiences around Baltimore, with trials underway between the hospitals and Baltimore Center Stage. Galen also plans to take the program to other cities in the future.

“If we can provide kids receiving treatment a break from their day or an opportunity to be a kid and interact with others enjoying something outside the walls of their hospital rooms,” he says, “then we’ve done our job.”

LEARN MORE

For more information on how you can support the Aquarium’s work with WeGo, including corporate sponsorship opportunities, please contact Sean Beattie at SBeattie@aqua.org.

To learn more about the WeGo Foundation, visit WeGoProject.org or contact Galen directly at GShi8@jhmi.edu.

OPPOSITE Aquarium Tours and Experiences staff helps our guests, on-site and off, to experience our Living Seashore touchpools.

PHOTO BY THERESA KEIL

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F E AT U R E S

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s … a snake? A shrimp? An octopus? Believe it or not, these amazing animals found in the National Aquarium all possess sensational superpowers that would rival even the most epic of superheroes.

S U P E R N AT U R A L S P E C I E S

Emerald Tree Boa Heat-Sensing Sixth Sense How does the nocturnal emerald tree boa, coiled on a tree branch in the tropical rain forest, manage to strike its prey with deft accuracy in complete darkness? The secret lies in its superpower: infrared heat detection. In other words, emerald tree boas can “see” heat.

The most noticeable physical feature of this reptile is undoubtedly its striking green coloration, but these snakes sport another prominent feature, which provides them with their thermoreception powers.

Take a look at the boa’s head and you’ll notice the deep pockets located along its jaw. Inside these facial structures, called pit organs, are infrared heat receptors. It’s these temperature-sensing pits that allow the emerald tree boa to detect the heat radiating from warmblooded prey.

as heat, rather than light, allowing these ambush predators to “see” an image of their prey, even in the pitch black of night. This incredible sensory system allows the stealthy boa to strike with pinpoint precision to capture its unsuspecting prey, which includes birds, rodents and other small mammals.

Boas detect infrared wavelengths— the color beyond red on the rainbow, which is invisible to the human eye—

FIND THIS SUPER-ANIMAL:

Amazon River Forest exhibit, Level 4

F E AT U R E S

Peacock Mantis Shrimp Supernatural Strength, Excellent Eyesight The colorful peacock mantis shrimp is the very definition of “small but mighty.” These captivating crustaceans only grow to lengths of 2 to 7 inches, but don’t let their pint size fool you. This shrimp’s clublike appendages pack a surprisingly powerful punch.

Its punch is so powerful it boils the surrounding water, and so quick it rivals the speed of a .22 caliber bullet—50 times faster than the blink of an eye. With just one-tenth of a peacock mantis shrimp’s deadly punching force, a human could launch a baseball into orbit.

In a matter of milliseconds, the shrimp unfurls its appendages—which fold beneath its body, like a praying mantis—to deliver a devastating blow that pulverizes its prey.

A lightning-quick, powerful punch isn’t the only superpower at the peacock mantis shrimp’s disposal; it also has the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom.

The shrimp’s protruding, independently moving eyes contain 16 types of color-receptive cone cells—compared to the three types of cones in human eyes—allowing it to detect 10 times more color than a human. This exceptional eyesight helps the peacock mantis shrimp detect prey—and avoid predators.

FIND THIS SU PE R-ANIMAL:

Surviving Through Adaptation exhibit, Hiding gallery, Level 3

S U P E R N AT U R A L S P E C I E S

Giant Pacific Octopus Master of Disguise and Escape They’re called giant Pacific octopuses for good reason—as the largest octopus species in the world, individuals can weigh upward of 100 pounds. Their size, in addition to their bulbous bodies, eight long arms and reddish-brown coloration, may lead you to believe that this mollusk stands out in a crowd—but you could pass right by a giant Pacific octopus and be none the wiser. In a stunning feat, these cephalopods can instantaneously shift the color and texture of their skin to become virtually invisible to predators—or to passing prey.

The octopus’s crazy camouflage superpower is made possible by a complex network of nerves that commands the muscles inside pigment-containing cells, called chromatophores, to expand or contract, making the color inside more—or less—visible. But it’s not just their rapid color-changing abilities that help octopuses go undetected; they can also manipulate the texture of their skin. By controlling the size of projections on its skin—called papillae—the octopus can create

bumps, ridges and horns on its body, allowing it to seamlessly blend in with coral, rocks and other elements of the ocean floor.

The giant Pacific octopus is not only a master of disguise, but also of escape.

Their soft, boneless bodies allow them to shape-shift, squeezing through any space large enough to fit their small, sharp beak, which they use to open the hard shells of clams and puncture the flesh of fish and other prey.

Despite their impressive size, these escape artists can squeeze through an opening only a few inches wide.

FIND THIS SUPER-ANIMAL:

Surviving Through Adaptation exhibit, Feeding gallery, Level 3

Check out our interactive spotlight on octopuses and learn more about these impressive invertebrates at aqua.org/otherworldly-octopuses.

F E AT U R E S

Exploring a Living Laboratory Students get hands-on in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

BY MEGAN KOWALSKI Through the What Lives in the Harbor program, sixthgraders from Baltimore City Public Schools come to the Aquarium’s waterfront campus to learn more about the Chesapeake Bay watershed. National Aquarium Urban Education Coordinator Symone Johnson gives us the scoop on this environmental education program.

Q: How did What Lives in the Harbor get started?

A: The program got started in 2016 when we received the Bay Watershed Education Training program grant through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In 2016, our staff wrote the initial curriculum and met with partners from Baltimore City Public Schools to align the program curriculum with the City Schools curriculum.

The pilot implementation ran from spring 2017 until spring 2018, and we reached nine schools in that period.

Q: What is the goal of What Lives in the Harbor?

A: The goal of the program is to provide meaningful watershed education experiences to students in Baltimore City Public Schools. This education experience has three components: one is in the classroom with the teacher, one is out of the classroom, and one is a follow-up action project. The students’ trip to the Aquarium is the required outdoor component. Now that we have the implementation grant from NOAA, we’re going to be able to scale up the program to include all 67 middle schools in the school system and reach about 3,600 students each year.

Q: What types of in-classroom and out-of-classroom activities do the students participate in?

A: In the classroom before the field trip to the Aquarium, the students learn about the Chesapeake Bay. The Aquarium provides all the materials, including a lesson plan and videos. The students also look at organism fact sheets and make ID cards for each of those animals, which they bring with them on the field trip.

For the field trip, it’s about being outside and being connected to the local watershed. We focus on water quality and students collect samples from the Inner Harbor and test them for different parameters, including dissolved oxygen, salinity and pH.

WAT E R M A R K S

They make hypotheses about the animals that live in the harbor based on the water quality results, then check their hypotheses by looking through habitat cages to identify the animals that live here, including mud crabs, fish, shrimp and mussels.

For the follow-up project, kids use the information they learned on the field trip, and we try to help them identify solutions to issues in their neighborhoods that could impact water quality and aquatic species in the harbor.

Projects range from pledging to turn off the lights when they leave the room to building a schoolyard garden and planting trees, and schools receive small stipends to complete these projects.

Q: How does this program help local students connect with the Chesapeake Bay watershed?

A: What I think is exciting about the program is that these kids hold the fish that are living here, they touch all the organisms that we find; we don’t just tell them about it. They’re learning really early on about how to collect scientific samples and how to analyze data. It helps them, I think, have more pride in where they live and know that what they’re doing affects the animals that live here, because now they have a connection with those animals.

Q: What do you hope students take away?

A: I want them to understand how we impact the watershed, and feel that their actions matter. We try to help them to understand that even small actions do create an impact, they do make a difference.

LE ARN MORE

Member support helps the National Aquarium engage more than 100,000 local students in educational programs each year. What Lives in the Harbor is made possible in part by grant support from the following partners: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Bay Watershed Education and Training Program; the Chesapeake Bay Trust; and Towson University.

OPPOSITE Students measure the turbidity—or cloudiness—of water in the Inner Harbor.

PHOTO BY THERESA KEIL

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WINTER 2018

W H AT L I V E S I N T H E H A R B O R

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A N I M A L U P DAT E

Terps Go to School In September, 48 diamondback terrapin hatchlings that were being cared for at the Aquarium headed off to classrooms across Maryland, their homes until spring. This year, Maryland Subaru retailers are making it possible for local schools to participate in Terrapins in the Classroom. Through this program, students will care for and study the turtles before releasing them to their natural habitat in the Chesapeake Bay at the end of the school year.

PHOTOGRAPH BY SEAN LO

TH R E E ’ S A C R OW D!

The National Aquarium has welcomed the 13th, 14th and 15th puffin chicks to hatch in our Sea Cliffs exhibit since 2006! The chicks— known as pufflings—are nicknamed Ravioli, Vega and Sage. After they hatched, the trio stayed put in their burrows for about 45 days until they were ready to emerge—fully feathered, waterproofed and ready to explore Sea Cliffs! Young Atlantic puffins have grayish-black beaks, but as they grow, Ravioli, Vega and Sage will develop the Atlantic puffins’ distinctive orange-striped bill.

T WO TA N AG E R S

Two new feathered additions have joined the residents of Upland Tropical Rain Forest: turquoise tanager chicks! Hatching from eggs the size of a large grape, the birds will grow to be about 6 inches long. Turquoise tanagers are highly social birds, and up to four or five individuals will help to feed nestlings.

H A P PY B I R D - DAY, M A R GA R E T !

Margaret the hyacinth macaw—one of the stars of our animal programs presentations—celebrated her 30th birthday in October! She celebrated by doing what she does best: engaging with our guests and showing off her many skills.

WAT E R M A R K S

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WINTER 2018

D O LP H I N U P DATE : ACC LI M ATI O N CO NTI N U E S

Our marine mammal experts are working to introduce our colony of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins to unfamiliar elements, such as shade structures, that they’ll encounter in their future sanctuary home.

PHOTOGRAPH BY THERESA KEIL

F A M I LY T I M E

Octo-hero to the Rescue!

Visit aqua.org/octo-hero for instructions on creating this octo-hero mask!

Cut along the black lines

Cut out the black shapes

Fold over the blue triangles

SHARE WITH US! Post photos of your finished mask to the National Aquarium Members page on Facebook.

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WRAP YOUR HOLIDAYS IN WONDER. National Aquarium membership is the gift your loved ones can open again and again with each visit.

Plus, as a member, you get access to reduced-rate guest tickets— the perfect holiday surprise!

Call 410-659-4230, visit aqua.org/members or visit the member desk to learn more.