Get nose-to-nose with sea turtles at the Virginia Aquarium
Post courtesy of Brande Rumpf, Guest Blogger
If you really want to get up close and personal with sea life and exotic animals, look no further than the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center on General Booth Blvd., not far from the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. The center’s recent multi-million dollar renovation is attracting hundreds of visitors each week. The newest exhibit, Restless Planet, is wildly successful, offering up-close experiences and many “hands on” exhibits with hundreds of new species of fish and animals.
Last week, my 10 year-old son, Alan, and I took a behind-the-scenes tour with sea turtles, just one of the experiences the aquarium offers year round. In addition to learning about these amazing creatures, we learned what it takes to run the aquarium, from volunteers to full- time employees, biologists to carpenters. We had no idea it takes close to a mini-army to operate the aquarium every day, but, then again, there are a lot of mouths to feed and tanks to test!
Of course, getting up close with the turtles was the coolest part of the experience. Our first look was through the tanks as our guide educated us. We learned that there are many different types of sea turtles and the aquarium is home to three particular species: the Loggerhead, the Green, and the Kemp’s Ridley. We saw baby sea turtles who will celebrate their first birthday in August and we paid a visit to the oldest resident sea turtle, a Loggerhead who is 25 years old. We were surprised to learn that sea turtles can live to be 80!
Next stop was a trip upstairs, above the main turtle aquarium, to watch the turtles feed. A team of aquarium staff carefully leaned over the tank’s edge, and using colored paddles, fed the hungry turtles fresh fish and lettuce. We were curious about the paddles and soon learned that sea turtles are very smart and can be trained. The aquarium’s turtles have been trained to signal when they’re ready for food by touching the middle of the paddle with their noses. This type of training helps the turtles become familiar with human contact so staff can touch and examine them when needed. I have to admit that Alan and I were pretty impressed.
This behind-the-scenes look is a unique experience and I’d recommend it as it was both fun and educational at the same time. Alan and I walked away in awe of how these magnificent creatures are “living the life” in Virginia Beach at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center.
Want more information about this and other ‘behind the scenes” Aquarium experiences? Want to volunteer? Visit www.virginiaaquarium.com.
For more fun things to do with kids, visit 
