Endangered Species Have Their Day

May 17 is Endangered Species Day. But we live among threatened and endangered plant and animal species every day. You might see them during a bird walk on the lakefront or on a hike through the Cook County forest preserves. You will see them swimming in Shedd’s exhibits and even growing in our gardens.

Celebrate Mexico's Aquatic Heritage at Shedd

It’s Cinco de Mayo, a major celebration in Chicago. At Shedd Aquarium, you’ll meet some of Mexico’s most intriguing freshwater animals, like the ghostly blind cave fish and those tadpoles for life, axolotls, in the Islands and Lakes gallery. The iguana habitat in this gallery features reef fishes you’d find if you were diving off Cozumel or Yucatan.

Blind Seadragon Gets a Helping Hand

When the Fishes department moved a leafy seadragon into the 4,700-gallon kelp forest habitat on the Abbott Oceanarium’s Coastal Walkway habitat, the aquarists watched closely to make sure that the more animated weedy seadragons didn’t slurp up all the live mysid shrimp before the leafy got his share. “That’s when we noticed that the leafy wasn’t eating on his own,” aquarist Erika Moss says.

What to do? Hand-feed the seadragon, of course.

New on View: Edible Jellies

No, we’re not talking about the kind you eat with peanut butter and bread.

Cruzin’

When Cruz, the blind California sea lion pup who arrived at Shedd in mid-December, hears trainers gathering nearby, he porpoises around his pool in eager anticipation of the upcoming training session.

Blind Pup One of Two New Rescued Sea Lions

Twenty-month-old Cruz is a healthy, high-energy California sea lion pup. Only when you notice his sightless eyes do you realize that he bounds around guided solely by sound and scent.

Cruz is one of two rescued California sea lions that Shedd introduced to the public this week.

Happy Third Birthday, Nunavik!

At some point, you realize that the little guy, until August the youngest beluga, who you remember as being all gray and roly-poly and plush-toy-cuddly-looking, is lately so big that you can’t pick him out among the other belugas.

Nunavik, who turns 3 today, is undeniably a juvenile whale.

What the Calves Are Up To

If you’ve seen Shedd’s new aquatic show, A Holiday Fantasea, you know that Sagu (SAH-goo), our 6½-month-old Pacific white-sided dolphin calf (shown above on the left) gets into the act alongside his mom, Piquet. During the show, you’ll see him engaged in formal training. Lisa Takaki, senior director of marine mammals, says, “He seems to LOVE it and is very attentive—usually!”

Shedd Taps Local Brewer with Surprise Crop

Shedd’s award-winning gardens provide floral nectar to butterflies, a lakefront haven to migratory birds, leafy greens to our resident reptiles, fragrant herbs to our food service and boxes of fruits and vegetables to local food pantries.

Now they’ll also quench your thirst.

Beluga Calf's Debut: Today the Press, Friday Her Public

Mauyak’s calf made her media debut today. About 5 feet long and weighing more than 200 pounds, the 8-week-old slate gray baby beluga drew oohs and aahs from press gathered at the underwater viewing windows of Secluded Bay as she cruised around the 400,000-gallon habitat with mom or confidently sailed off on her own.