eabits Newsletter : August 2003

Hello Seabits readers! It's a hot, steamy August here in Boston, but
it's not slowing us down. Whale watches are running twice daily, and
we are seeing lots of minke and fin whales, as well as humpbacks and
even rare right whales! This month, we feature stories about
manatees in Belize, the enormous leatherback sea turtle that
stranded on Cape Cod, and finally, a bunch of little bits -- from
the blob in Chile to the shrinking Aral Sea in Kazakhstan.

Here on Central Wharf, we are adding some new shark pups to our
Giant Ocean Tank later this month, so be sure to look for them on
your next visit. Our big sea lions, Tyler and Guthrie, are losing
some of their vacation weight and lethargy, and are back performing
again, but in the meantime our younger sea lions, Zuma and Ballou,
have been doing some great shows. Hope to see you here soon!

In this issue:
Watery Words
Stories
1) Manatee Adventure in Belize
2) Huge Turtle Strands on Cape
3) Sea Bits -- Bits of News from the World of Water
Out on the Net
Announcements
1) Aqua Explorers Program
2) Activity Center News
3) Birthday Parties at the Aquarium
4) Marine Studies Consortium
5) New Conservation Film: In Hot Water
At the Simons IMAX(r) Theatre
August Calendar
Subscribe/Unsubscribe
That's All, Folks

***** WATERY WORDS ****************************************

I want to tell you the ocean knows this,
that life in its jewel boxes
is endless as the sand,
impossible to count,
pure,
and among the blood-colored grapes
time has made the petal hard and shiny,
made the jellyfish full of light
and untied its knot,
letting its musical threads fall
from a horn of plenty
made of infinite mother-of-pearl.

-- Pablo Neruda, Los Enigmas

***** AUGUST STORIES *****************************************
1. Manatee Adventure in Belize
2. Huge Turtle Strands on Cape
3. Sea Bits

------- MANATEE ADVENTURE IN BELIZE -----------------------------
Contributed by Linda Hurt and Kalyn Gildehaus, Aquarium Educators
and Megan Saunders, Earthwatch Intern

Two Aquarium educators, Linda Hurt and Kalyn Gildehaus, somehow
managed to pull themselves away from the glories of Boston last
March to travel to Belize to be part of an ongoing study on the
ecology and behavior of Antillean manatees. For two weeks, Linda and
Kalyn worked with principal investigator Caryn Self-Sullivan, along
with other researchers and volunteers, in the warm tropical waters,
observing manatees, collecting data, taking photographs for
identification and counting seagrasses. You know the adage � it's a
tough job, but somebody's got to do it.

Antillean manatees are one of two subspecies of West Indian
manatees, the other being the more familiar Florida manatee. In all,
there are four animals that make up the order Sirenia, three species
of manatee and one dugong. The Steller sea cow used to be in this
order, but was hunted into extinction. All of the remaining
Sirenians are listed as vulnerable to extinction on the 2002 IUCN
Red List, and are protected by CITES (The Convention on Trade of
Endangered Species). For an order that has no natural predators,
that's a pretty strong indictment of human activity.

For Florida manatees, one of the biggest dangers is boat traffic --
slow-moving manatees aren't able to move out of the way, and they
inhabit the same coastal waterways popular with boaters. Boat
collisions are so common that researchers know many individual
manatees by the propeller scars on their backs and tails. Cold
spells also take a toll on the Florida population, which prefers
water temperature to be above 67 degree Fahrenheit. Sudden cold
snaps have killed dozens of manatees.

For the Antillean manatees in Belize, the threats are not so well
known. In order to protect the Antillean manatee, Belize officials
need basic data on population, distribution, behavior, habitat and
travel corridors to develop successful management strategies. The
Antillean manatee research project can provide the keys to keeping
these gentle creatures alive and safe in Belize's waters. Already,
the data gathered by volunteers like Linda and Kalyn has helped
catalyze the establishment of the Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary, a
7500-acre area of sea and mangrove around the Northern Drowned Cayes
and Swallow Caye, a few miles east of Belize City.

For Linda and Kalyn, the trip was a great introduction to manatees
and field marine biology. To get a flavor of their trip, below are
some excerpts from the trip diary kept by Megan Saunders (Earthwatch
Intern):
-----------------------------------------------------------------
March 13, 2003
Our first day on the water at the Swallow Caye manatee reserve was
extremely successful. First a mother and calf pair swam in a circle
around our boat, and at one point were just meters away. Later on we
almost ran over a manatee (luckily we didn't! We had the engine shut
off and Gilroy was poling the boat through the shallows). The
manatee was a tiny calf on its own, far too young to be without its
mother. We suspect it is the same orphaned calf we observed at the
beginning of team one in the same location. It was heartening to see
that it was still alive five weeks later, but worrying to see it
having to fend for itself at such a young age. On the way to our
lunch stop we heard loud splashing on the other side of a mangrove
island. The culprit was a solitary bottlenose dolphin tail-slapping
under the mangrove prop roots to stun fish�.

We have not visited the reef yet this week, but we have done a
number of mangrove creek reconnaissance snorkels. Linda and Kalyn
found a seahorse in the same location as I did during team two. Just
as we got out of the water, we saw a "manatee footprint" near the
boat. Amazingly, with a team of seven observers in the water, NONE
of us saw the manatee. It must have come over to check us out while
we were searching the mangrove roots for smaller creatures. I have
always had the sneaking suspicion that the animals we study are
secretly studying us�

March 21, 2003
During lunch on Monday in Mapp Caye Lagoon, Bernard, Caryn and I
were debating the issue of corruption in capitalist vs. communist
countries. The debate was escalating to an uneasy level when Gilroy,
with impeccable timing, spotted a manatee. None of the rest of us
saw it, but we took his word for it, and Caryn decided she wanted
try and locate it elsewhere in the lagoon. The idea was to see if it
had gone up any previously unexplored creeks. We discovered a creek
in the direction the manatee likely had traveled. The creek was
narrow, less than 6 feet wide in most places, and about 6-7 feet
deep. We decided to do a reconnaissance snorkel to look for a
manatee highway, feeding scars or possibly even a manatee.

Single file Caryn, myself, Kalyn, Linda, Katie and Gilroy swam up
the creek. It was beautiful, with many fish darting amongst the
encrusted mangrove roots. We saw a number of stingrays feeding in
the muddy sediment, leaving a plume of suspended mud in their wake.
Around 300 yards up the creek I was busy watching a stingray
swimming through the prop roots when Caryn disappeared through a
large mud plume ahead. I looked to see if there was a ray causing
the disturbance but didn't see one, and I continued through the mud
cloud. Maybe we had disturbed a manatee? At which point I heard
"CROC!" Caryn, Kalyn and I had swum directly over top of a 5-foot
long American crocodile. Disturbed, it took off in a flash swimming
straight under Linda, Katie and Gilroy. Thinking ourselves keen
adventurers we congratulated each other for this exciting encounter
but I noticed we all swam just a bit faster on the way out.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
For Linda, the highlight of the trip was the last day, where she
spent time suspended in the water, doing a dead man's float, and
watching a manatee below her. Beats driving through sleet in Boston
traffic any day!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Droplet: The Aquarium's Marine Conservation Action Fund provided
preliminary support for this project in 2001, and the majority of
the funding for this project has been provided by the Earthwatch
Institute since 2001. Megan's diary originally appeared on the
Vancouver Aquarium's AquaNews website and is reprinted here with
permission.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-------- HUGE TURTLE STRANDS ON CAPE ----------------------------
By Lucy Seche and Tony LaCasse, Cape Adventurers
A beautiful beach on Cape Cod seems like the perfect place to spend
a sunny Friday afternoon in July� unless you are an enormous
leatherback sea turtle.

On July 18, we got an urgent call from U.S. Fish and Wildlife
officials: a stranded six-foot long, six hundred pound leatherback
sea turtle had been spotted by a clammer on a remote section of
Nauset Beach. Leatherback turtles are rarely seen on land and those
that do come ashore are usually in critical condition. Knowing this,
Marine Animal Rescue Team members Connie Merigo and Sarah Bean and
staff veterinarian Dr. Andrew Routh sprang into action and headed to
Cape Cod.

Unsure of the leatherback's condition, the Marine Animal Rescue
Team, along with the Massachusetts Audubon Society, hoped to reach
the turtle as quickly as possible. Nauset beach - a long narrow
strip of land - posed some navigational challenges. The team first
attempted to reach the turtle by truck but after just a couple of
miles of slogging through deep dunes, they abandoned "Plan A." After
backtracking over land, they came up with "Plan B," and headed over
by boat from Chatham.

A leatherback on a beach is incredibly rare and awesome sight.
Leatherbacks can grow up to seven feet long and weigh up to a ton.
Lacking a hard shell, leatherbacks - as their name suggests - are
covered instead in black leathery skin with seven long ridges
running down the length of their backs. Leatherbacks are also
uniquely adapted to living in cold waters and have been known to
travel as far north as Iceland. They can also dive up to 4,290 feet
-- the equivalent of more than five John Hancock towers!

Leatherbacks are open ocean creatures and are rare visitors to New
England beaches. In fact, in the 20+ years of records kept by the
Aquarium, only three leatherbacks have come ashore, and only one of
those survived.

This one was a lucky one. The clinical team evaluated the turtle -
it was disoriented and exhausted, but in good health. It was clear
from the sand around the animal that it had made several attempts to
pull itself back to the water with no success.

Since it was in good health, the rescuers decided that the best
course of action would be to return this half-ton reptile to the
ocean. Not a small challenge. In the end, a combination of seven
people, two dolphin stretchers and the rising tide helped send the
leatherback back home. After surfacing for some deep breaths, the
turtle headed out to sea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Droplet: As excited as the Marine Animal Rescue Team was to see a
leatherback in the wild, they were even happier to help it back into
its native waters. Leatherback turtles are an endangered species. In
the years between 1980 and 1995, their numbers plummeted from
115,000 to just 35,000. Threats to the diminishing leatherback
population include entanglement in fishing gear, boat collisions and
ingestion of marine debris. Especially dangerous to leatherbacks are
plastic bags that can undulate and look like their favorite food -
jellyfish - clogging their intestines and often killing them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
------- SEA BITS ------------------------------------------------
Our oceans have been full of newsworthy events in July and early
August, so here's a quick round-up some of the things that crossed
my desk. --JG

THE BLOB
You may remember stories of a giant mass of � well � no one was
really sure, so they called it "the blob," that washed up on shore
in Chile on July 2. There was much speculation, and hope, that this
might have been the elusive giant octopus, whose existence is still
in question. Chilean scientists took samples and sent them off to
various labs around the world to see if this mass of gelatinous
protoplasm could be identified and whether it was, in fact, this
sought-after cephalopod of the deep. Alas, no such luck.

Lab results indicated that it was the remains of a common sperm
whale. Apparently, when a whale dies at sea (and most of them do) it
rots until it becomes, in the poetic words of Chilean scientists, "a
skeleton suspended in a semi-liquid mass within a bag of skin and
blubber." When the gases eventually expand enough to tear the skin,
the bones and heavy bits fall to the sea bottom, but the blubber and
the spermaceti organ, from which the sperm whale gets its name, can
hang around in the surface, floating, eventually washing up on shore
and looking uncannily like a huge octopus.

DEADWHALE'S FLOAT
They call them "floaters," the big dead whales looming like small
hills in the ocean. This July, scientists have seen a surprising
number of floaters on Georges Bank. To date, the tally is: 6-12
humpback whales, one pilot whale and one fin whale. This kind of
body count is what they call an "unusual mortality event" - so
designated by an international panel of experts established under
the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act. This official label opens up
some contingency funding to look into why this is happening.

NOAA Fisheries and Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans sent
a team of Canadian and U.S. marine mammal experts to Georges Bank to
sample the carcasses of the floaters, and came back with samples
from five humpbacks and one pilot whale. Scientists suspect that
biotoxins, produced naturally during harmful algal blooms, may be to
blame. A neurotoxin called saxotoxin caused the deaths of 14
humpback whales in 1987. Saxotoxin is associated with a
dinoflagellate that causes red tides. The samples taken include
urine, feces, blubber, skin and stomach contents. These marine
mammologists have all the fun!

The results of the tests should be available in the next few weeks,
so check the NOAA website for the latest.
<http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/press_release/>

RIGHT WHALES ON THE BANK
From Tony LaCasse, Media Relations Guru
Right whales, those rarely seen, massive baleen giants, eat
copepods. Sand lances (small schooling fish) also eat copepods.
Humpback whales, the bread and butter of whale watches, eat sand
lances.

What does it mean when whale watchers start seeing extremely
endangered right whales scarfing copepods down on Stellwagen Bank?
It means sand lances are down, copepods are up, and the humpbacks
are either eating less or performing at some other venue.
Apparently, the sand lance population goes through cycles, and this
year is one of their low years. Without the sand lances to eat the
copepods, the right whales are getting a chance at them, and New
England whale watchers are getting a chance to see these most
endangered of all large mammals. So far this season, Aquarium whale
watches have recorded three sightings of right whales, two of which
were mom/calf pairs!

DISAPPEARING ACT
The Aral Sea, once the world's fourth largest inland sea, is not
even going to make the top ten list in a few years, says a new study
out of Moscow's Shirshov Institute of Oceanology. It's disappearing
so rapidly that it may be completely gone in 15 years.

This sea, deprived of its main rivers by dams for irrigation, has
divided into two seas, the Big Aral and the Little Aral. The Little
(North) Aral Sea may be salvageable, but the Big (South) Aral Sea
has been abandoned. It's more than just the sea that is gone; the
50,000 tons per year fishery is gone, the 24 species of fish are
gone, the ports are gone, the shipping industry is gone, the water
supply is gone, the agriculture is gone and the jobs are gone. But
the people aren't gone. Some seem determined to make a life in their
traditional homeland even though it's � gone.

Not living in Russia, not being dependent on the Aral Sea for
fishing, agriculture, or anything, and in fact, only being vaguely
aware of its location (somewhere in Kazakhstan), why do we care? The
photos of boats lying in sand dunes with no water for miles are
incredible, capturing the imagination. How could a whole sea
disappear? Okay, it's an "inland sea" or really big lake, not
technically an ocean, but still it was a body of water so big
(41,000 square miles) you couldn't see across it - and now it's
disappearing, blowing 200,000 metric tons of salt and sand onto
agricultural land as a slap-in-the-face reminder to take care of our
water.

The people who live around the Aral Sea say if everyone who came to
study their disappearing sea brought a bucket of water, they
wouldn't have this problem. Perhaps so, but they've brought
something better: An ambitious $85 million plan involving an
eight-mile dike is underway to revive the Little Aral.

*******OUT ON THE NET *****************************************
For additional information, you might want to check out the
following websites. Some of these links represent partners in
aquatic conservation and animal husbandry; others are simply
resources we think may help you enrich your perspective on our
watery world. By listing these websites, the New England Aquarium
is not automatically endorsing or verifying the accuracy of their
content unless explicitly stated.

Manatees
<http://www.sirenian.org>
<http://www.savethemanatee.org/population2.htm>
<http://www.earthwatch.org/expeditions/lacommare.html>

Leatherback Sea Turtle Strands
<http://www.neaq.org/scilearn/randr/leatherback.html>

The Blob
<http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,3782-2496668,00.html>
<http://www-cgi.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/07/04/chile.creature.reut/>
<http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/07/04/blob_chile030704>
in Spanish:
<http://www.ccc-chile.org/site/article.php?sid=250&mode=thread&order=0>

Dead Whales
<http://stellwagen.nos.noaa.gov/about/sitereport/biotox.html>

Whale Watches
<http://www.neaq.org/visit/wwatch/natlog.html>

Aral Sea
<http://visearth.ucsd.edu/VisE_Int/aralsea/>
<http://nailaokda.8m.com/aral.html>
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/05/science/earth/05ARAL.html>

***** Announcements ********************************************
This month's announcements:
1) Aqua Explorers Program
2) Activity Center News
3) Birthday Parties at the Aquarium
4) Marine Studies Consortium
5) In Hot Water

------ AQUA EXPLORERS PROGRAMS -------------------------------------
Each program is taught by an Aquarium educator and combines a story
or a song, a hands-on activity, a take-home art project and a trip
to a related exhibit in the Aquarium or a live animal interaction
during the class.

Time: 9:30-10:30 a.m.
Location: Activity Center
Fees: $10 for members; $15 plus cost of admission for child and
adult for non-members. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Please call Central Reservations at 617-973-5206 to reserve your
space.

Preschool Aqua Explorers (Ages 3-5)
Creative Colors August 8, 15

Young Aqua Explorers (Ages 6-8)
These classes meet once a month on Saturday for the school-age
explorer.
Creative Colors August 16

------ ACTIVITY CENTER NEWS -------------------------------------
The Activity Center is now open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 5
p.m. The Activity Center is included with Aquarium admission, and is
a great place for families with kids 10 and under to spend some time
making crafts, playing games, exploring science kits and reading
aquatic-themed stories. We have some new activities, including a
brand-new water table!

For more information, contact Emily Hoffman at <[email protected]>.

------ BIRTHDAY PARTIES AT THE AQUARIUM ---------------
Aquarium members have the exclusive privilege of hosting their
child's birthday party at the New England Aquarium. Choose a theme
such as tidepool animals or penguins or sharks and bring the kids to
the Exploration Center for two hours of fun. Each young party guest
can take one parent or guardian chaperone with him or her to visit
the Aquarium after the party. Please call Central Reservations at
617-973-5206 for more details. Cost is $360 for up to 10 children.
Additional children are $15 each. For ages 3-4, maximum is 15
children. For ages 5 and up, maximum is 20 children. We also offer
IMAX(r) Birthday Parties for ages 7 and up and On the Road Traveling
Birthday Programs for ages 3 and up. Call the Birthday Party
Coordinator at 617-226-2149 for more information on these options.

All parties include:
- Thematic decorations
- Thematic paper products
- Aquarium Admission for participants after the party
- Cake (contains nut products)
- Hoodsie ice cream cups for the children
- Drinks for the children
- Craft Activity (not for IMAX film parties)
- Happy Birthday Banner art project
- Two or more Aquarium staff
- Lunch can be ordered for an additional fee
- Goodie bags can be ordered for an additional fee

------- MARINE STUDIES CONSORTIUM ---------------------------
Interested in college-level courses on marine life? The Marine
Studies Consortium (MSC) offers evening undergraduate classes in
aquatic science, environmental policy and many other subjects. In
addition to MSC's biology of fishes, which is offered at the New
England Aquarium, courses are offered on the biology of whales,
water resources management and the maritime history of New England,
among others. To find out more, please visit
<http://www.brandeis.edu/marinestudies/courses.html>.

The MSC is an association of Massachusetts higher education and
research institutions whose mission is to increase understanding of
coastal and marine ecosystems and to promote policies that protect
aquatic resources.

------ NEW CONSERVATION FILM: IN HOT WATER -----------------------
In Hot Water is the most recent production in our World of Water
(WOW) Film Series. Through vivid and compelling images, WOW films
provide viewers with both an educational and inspirational
experience as they learn about ocean conservation issues.

In Hot Water takes us to the frozen pack ice of the Arctic, the
temperate wetlands of the Chesapeake Bay, and the tropical islands
of the South Pacific to see the dramatic impacts of climate change.
Our ocean ecosystems are changing in ways we are only beginning to
understand, and the whole world, from polar bears to people, is
feeling the effect. In this film, find out which individual actions
you can take to make smarter, more energy-efficient choices. (24
min.)

WOW films are produced specifically for visitors to aquariums,
museums and zoos but are available for any educational programming
including teacher workshops and trainings. The films are produced in
VHS, PAL and DVD formats. Also available to educational institutions
are lists of relevant websites and literature for educators and
aquarists as well as a pricing chart for WOW films for gift shop
purchases.

Other World of Water Films include:
Magnificent Fish: The Forgotten Giants, which brings viewers close
to the often misunderstood giants of the open ocean: sharks, tuna
and billfish;
Unwanted Catch, which examines the issue of bycatch in various
fisheries worldwide and the impact on marine creatures including
turtles, dolphins and seabirds;
Keepers of the Reef, which explores the human-induced and natural
changes in coral reefs using historic shipwrecks as markers in time;
Surviving Sharks, which uses compelling images to highlight threats
to the survival of shark populations and to call for an
international ban on finning; to counter the myth of sharks as
ruthless killers by highlighting their skills and finely-tuned
biological makeup; and to demonstrate that sharks, as apex
predators, are vital for preserving healthy marine environments;
Oceans For The Future: The Making of Marine Protected Areas, which
features stunning underwater footage from worldwide case studies to
illustrate what Marine Protected Areas are and what they can do to
help protect our ocean ecosystems; and
Night Life: Creatures of the Deep, which venture into the deep
waters off Bermuda with renowned author Peter Benchley and ocean
explorer Teddy Tucker to meet bizarre creatures and explores why we
need to protect the amazing creatures of the deep.

For more information on World of Water films, please contact Heather
Tausig at 617-973-0274 or <[email protected]>.

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE FORUM ON OCTOBER 1
On October 1, the Aquarium will be holding a free public forum, On
Thin Ice: The Need for Action on Global Climate Change, from 2 to
4:30 p.m. in the New England Aquarium Exploration Center. More
details will be available in the September issue of Seabits.

****** AT THE SIMONS IMAX(R) THEATRE ***************************
Ghosts of the Abyss 3D - 60 minutes
Ghosts of the Abyss takes you more than two miles beneath the
surface and into the ruined wreck of the great ship Titanic. Through
the magic of IMAX 3D, you will truly feel as though you're there,
beside the adventurers, as they fly their amazing equipment through
the ship's ruined majesty. Academy Award winning director and master
storyteller James Cameron and his team bring audiences to sights not
seen since the sinking 90 years ago and explore why the landmark
vessel -- more than any shipwreck -- continues to intrigue and
fascinate and why we continue to study it.
Daily: 11 a.m., 1:20 p.m., 3:40 p.m.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION
The Matrix Reloaded: The IMAX Experience- 2 hours, 20 minutes
Reload in IMAX! If you haven't seen The Matrix Reloaded on New
England's largest screen at the Simons IMAX Theatre, you haven't
seen it the way it's meant to be seen. In the second chapter of The
Matrix trilogy, newly remastered through the revolutionary IMAX DMR"
process, freedom fighters Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne
Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) continue to lead the revolt
against the Machine Army, unleashing their arsenal of extraordinary
skills against the systematic forces of repression and exploitation.
In their quest to save the human race from extinction, they gain
greater insight into the construct of The Matrix and Neo's pivotal
role in the fate of mankind.
Daily: 7:05 p.m., 9:40 p.m. (No passes)

Also playing in August
IMAX 3D Film "Ocean Wonderland"
IMAX 3D Film "Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man"

Opening September 4: Bugs! 3D.
Bugs is a live-action , rainforest adventure filmed in
awe-inspiring, totally immersive 3D. Shot on location in the Borneo
rainforest and in a purpose-built studio in Oxford, England, Bugs
explores the dramatic and savage lives of a praying mantis and a
beautiful butterfly, known by their Latin names Hierodula and
Papilio.

Please call or check our website to get more information on show
times. To purchase tickets call 1-866-815-IMAX (4629) or buy tickets
online at <http://www.newenglandaquarium.org>.
John Hancock is the Simons IMAX Theatre Sponsor in partnership with
UPN 38.

**** AUGUST CALENDAR ********************************************
Friday, August 8, Creative Colors Preschool Class, 9:30 a.m.
Educators guide children in exploring science in fun and simple
ways. This program includes a story, a hands-on activity, a
take-home art project and a visit to a related exhibit or an animal
interaction. Please call 617-973-5206 for more information and
reservations.

Saturday, August 9 , More Than Meets the Eye Guided Tour, 9:30 a.m.
Many animals in the Aquarium are difficult to see or find.
Camouflage and hiding helps animals escape hungry predators. Learn
the secrets of these practically invisible animals! $8 for members;
$12 plus admission for non-members. Please call 617-973-5206 for
reservations.

Friday, August 15, Creative Colors Preschool Class, 9:30 a.m.
Educators guide children in exploring science in fun and simple
ways. This program includes a story, a hands-on activity, a
take-home art project and a visit to a related exhibit or an animal
interaction. Please call 617-973-5206 for more information and
reservations.

Saturday, August 16, Creative Colors Young Explorers, 9:30 a.m.
For ages 5-8. This program includes a story, a hands-on activity, a
take-home art project and a visit to a related exhibit or an animal
interaction. Please call 617-973-5206 for more information and
reservations.

Tuesday, August 19, Take the Bait, 7-9 p.m.
This is an opportunity for members to view the galleries at their
leisure, after the Aquarium has closed to the general public. There
will be presentations about our animals and exhibits, as well as
beverages and light snacks. Free to members, but reservations to
<[email protected]> are requested.

Wednesday, August 20, Dive Club Monthly Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
The New England Aquarium's Dive Club holds monthly meetings at the
Aquarium. The Dive Club has 500 members that dive and socialize
together. To find out more, visit www.neadc.org or contact Mary
Helen Shuman-Groh at 617-973-0240.

Saturday, August 23, Behind the Scenes Guided Tour, 9:30 a.m.
Ever wonder what the view is like from the other side of the glass?
Find out about what goes on behind the scenes at the Aquarium. Learn
about the feeding and care of all kinds of marine life, from
octopuses to electric eels to penguins. $10 for members; $15 plus
admission for non-members. Please call 617-973-5206 for
reservations.

***** SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE **************************************
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To unsubscribe from Seabits, send e-mail to <[email protected]>.
In the body of your e-mail message write, "unsubscribe seabits"
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If you have trouble unsubscribing, consider whether you might have
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***** CONTACT US *******************************
Questions and comments? Contact Jen Goebel at <[email protected]>.

***** THAT'S ALL, FOLKS! *************************
That's the excitement for this month. Tune in next month for more
news from the world of water.
- Jen Goebel




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