Jazzin’ Plus: Cave fish

While we’re pointing out animals and activities that you’ll only see after dark during Jazzin’ at the Shedd, we’d like to direct you to the Islands and Lakes gallery and the Mexican blind cave tetras. On the brightest day, only enough natural illumination from the skylights slips into their mostly covered habitat for guests to see them. "But they could be in total darkness," says senior aquarist Stacy Wozniak. That’s because, for these eyeless fish, day and night are the same.

Jazzin’ Plus: That doesn’t look like a dolphin in the pool

At Shedd you can see more than 1,500 species, from crustaceans to cetaceans. Add another during Jazzin’: Aquapeople. They’re the scuba divers who weekly maintain the Oceanarium pools.

Ken Ramirez, executive vice president of animal programs and training, says, "We always do our cleaning dives at night. Over the years, we’ve found that guests really enjoy seeing us in the water, so during the summer, we purposely schedule dives during the peak time that people are in the Oceanarium for Jazzin’."

August birthdays at Shedd

Cetaceans celebrating birthdays in August include four beluga whales and one Pacific white-sided dolphin. That’s one big splash party in Whale Harbor!

Beginning with the most august of Shedd’s whales, our big male, Naluark, turns 24. At least that’s our best estimate. He was 10½ feet long and about 1,000 pounds—within range for a 6-year-old—when he came to Shedd in 1992. To give you an idea of how belugas bulk up as they grow, he now carries more than a ton on a 13-foot frame. But he carries it well, with rippling horizontal "rails" of blubber along his length. Naluark, who frequently appears in Fantasea, is easily recognizable by his snowy white skin. He sired Bella, Miki and the newest calf, Nunavik.

The oil spill in Michigan

As cleanup and wildlife rescue efforts continue for what is being called the worst oil spill in the Midwest’s history, many of you have asked us for advice on how to get involved. Our great partners in Michigan are already working hard to mitigate damage to the surrounding ecosystem before oil spreads to Lake Michigan. While Shedd Aquarium is assessing how to best support our partners with our resources and animal-handling expertise, we encourage anyone in the Kalamazoo area to follow the recommendations of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at this time.

Jazzin’ Plus: What you’ll only see during Jazzin’ at the Shedd

If you can tear yourself away from the balmy breezes on the terrace, the skyline at sunset and the jazz for a while, and stroll over to Amazon Rising, you’ll see Shedd’s immersive floodplain forest exhibit in a new light.

Moonlight.

Beluga birthdays in July

Time to send a shout-out to beluga whale Bella, who turns 4 on Saturday. This playful girl is so interactive that she just might send a high-pitched squeal back! She’s one of three Shedd whales whose birthdays we’re observing in July.

Shedd in the Gulf

Ken Ramirez, Executive VP of Animal Collections and Training, discussing Shedd's involvment in Gulf wildlife rescue efforts on FOX Chicago.



Read more about Shedd's involvment in the Gulf wildlife rescue.

Posted by Joe Kantor, web editor

Shedd in the Gulf

As a respected leader in the field of animal care and environmental conservation, Shedd Aquarium is lending its experience and expertise to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill rescue and rehabilitation efforts. In fact, a member of our animal health division, vet tech Mayela Alsina, is in New Orleans now to work with Audubon Institute’s sea turtle and marine mammal rescue and rehab efforts. As the scope of the environmental tragedy has increased, so has the need for help, and Mayela joins other animal care specialists from the area and around the country at the Audubon Aquatic Center, where she will spend the next two weeks. Currently the center is caring for 106 sea turtles, 101 of them directly affected by the undersea oil well blow out that continues to pollute the Gulf.

Fish of the Month - Farmed Rainbow Trout

July’s Fish of the Month is farmed rainbow trout, a fish that the Right Bite team has many fond memories of! We absolutely love visiting the Rushing Waters trout farm whenever we can, to talk trout with Peter, the manager, and even to put on some waders to help harvest the fish! Located in Palmyra, Wisconsin, about a two-hour drive from Chicago, this beautiful trout farm sits on 80 acres of pristine forest. Rushing Waters has 56 ponds and raceways to grow the rainbow trout. The staff harvests the fish year-round by hand, never using any chemicals or antibiotics.

What else is fantastic about farmed rainbow trout? For starters, most carnivorous farmed fish eat more protein than they provide to the people who eat them, which is an inefficient use of marine resources. For example, it takes three pounds of wild fish to grow one pound of farmed salmon! However, farmed rainbow trout are incredibly efficient at converting their feed into protein. That, coupled with ecologically responsible farming methods, makes farmed rainbow trout a best choice for sustainability.

Shedd at night - Playtime

Come to Jazzin’ at the Shedd to see things you wouldn’t during regular hours! Like pool toys—very sturdy pool toys—in the Oceanarium habitats.

"One of the things we do for the animals at night is enrichment," says Ken Ramirez, executive vice president, animal programs and training. "During the day, we focus on training and personal interactions. At night, when we go home, we put enrichment items"— toys—"into the habitats for the animals to play with."