The Maritime Aquarium: The Jewel of Norwalk

By Evelyn J. Mocbeichel

Families looking for an exciting and educational day trip with the children should visit the nearby Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, Connecticut. It is the only aquarium that focuses on Long Island Sound, presenting sharks, seals, river otters, sea turtles, jellies and more than 100 other species from Long Island Sound and its watershed. Two staffed touch tanks allow hands-on close encounters with intertidal animals and a chance to touch live sharks and rays.

Among the attractions are “Go Fish!” which explores our cultural relationship with the sea through fishing and the sustainable seafood movement. “Ocean Playspace” offers fun for toddlers and a rest for big people. Marine Lab shows visitors how we care for marine animals, including raising baby seahorses and jellies. It also holds our family favorite, an IMAX^® theater. If you have never watched a movie on an IMAX screen, now is the time to see this fantastic event. The Maritime Aquarium has Connecticut’s largest IMAX Theater, with a screen that’s six stories high and eight stories wide!

One of the newest Aquarium exhibits goes against everything we have ever been told when we go to the beach, about touching a jellyfish. “Touch A Jellyfish” will let visitors safely touch live moon jellyfish, one of the most common species in Long Island Sound. “Most people who have seen jellyfish at the beach have gone out of their way to avoid them; to give them a very wide berth,” said Judith Bacal, the Aquarium’s exhibits director. “We’re offering this exhibit to demonstrate that there are jellyfish that you can touch without being stung.”

Have you ever seen a meerkat in person? Now the opportunity is here when you seea family of meerkats, one of Africa’s most entertaining species, burrows into visitors’ hearts in this special exhibit. First popularized by the comical sidekick Timon in Disney’s “The Lion King” and then celebrated in the Animal Planet television series “Meerkat Manor” (2005-2009), meerkats are members of the mongoose family that live in social “mobs” or “gangs” in burrows in the Kalahari Desert, in the southern African nations of Botswana and South Africa. No mere cats, meerkats (Suricata suricatta) are fascinating for living in structured but cooperative societies, including a foraging strategy where adults take turns standing guard upright on their hind feet, watching for predators, while the others eat. The meerkats’ exhibit offers lots of opportunities for climbing, digging and exploring, with several feeding locations to keep them always on the alert for incoming crickets. Kids will absolutely love the viewing bubble that lets visitors pop up right among the meerkats!

IMAX

Leading the list of popular movies that will be featured is Great White Shark an animal that commands both our fears and fascination. Ever since the movie Jaws hit the theatres years ago has any other creature brought such anxiety to beach goers. The Maritime Aquarium’s new IMAX film suggests, instead, that these incredible predators mainly need our help and respect. “Great White Shark” unravels the mystery of the creature we love to fear in telling the true story of its role atop the oceanic food chain. “Great whites are not monsters any more than the polar bears or lions that we revere.” The 40-minute film takes viewers around the world to great-white hotspots and examines what we know about these incredible animals.

“Tornado Alley” another IMAX feature blows into the only Connecticut movie theater big enough to handle it: the IMAX Theater at The Aquarium. The film invites audiences along with a daring team of “storm chasers” as they work to understand the origins and evolution of tornadoes. Sean Casey, star of the Discovery Channel’s “Storm Chasers” reality series, leads this mission to document one of Earth’s most awe-inspiring events, the birth of a tornado. Armed with a fleet of customized vehicles designed to withstand gale-force winds and an arsenal of the most advanced weather instruments ever created, the “Tornado Alley” crew take audiences on a thrilling quest to experience a tornado’s incredible power at point-blank range. Born to be Wild, another IMAX film, is an inspiring film that follows orphaned baby orangutans and elephants, and the extraordinary people who rescue and raise them for eventual release back into the wild. This heartwarming adventure transports audiences into the lush rain forests of Borneo. It’s narrated by Academy-Award® winner Morgan Freeman. Coming in April is Island of Lemurs: Madagascar, perfect for visitors during spring recess.

Activities

The Maritime has an extensive list of activities for guests of all ages. They offer Toy Boat Making Classes, Behind the Scenes Tours with unique opportunities to see how the animal-husbandry staff meets the varying food and water needs of the 2,000 resident animals. The tour includes stops at the “fish kitchen,” where 18 tons of fish a year is prepared, and above the 110,000-gallon Open Ocean tank, where the dorsal fins of eight-foot sand tiger sharks cut through the water surface. Guests will learn the delicate requirements of a jellyfish “nursery.” Participants must be at least 10 years old; under 15 must be accompanied by an adult. The tour is limited to 25 people, so reservations are strongly recommended. Walk-up tickets will be sold, space permitting. For reservations or more details, call (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206.

Aquarium Cruises are another wonderful event offered by the museum. Two study cruise programs onto Long Island sound are available to the public and also to schools/summer camps as charters. Educators on board the research vessel will point out the sights. Guests can study marine biodiversity from the water’s surface down to the bottom for a first-hand understanding of Long Island Sound’s interdependent marine life. Students utilize such sampling techniques as a plankton tow, biodredge, mud grab and otter trawl that may bring up fish, crabs, lobsters, sea stars and more. A video microscope and touch tank onboard enhance observations. The cruises depart from the dock outside the Aquarium’s IMAX movie theater. For reservations or more details, call (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206.

Special Guests

Renowned lecturers are frequently scheduled to give presentations at the Maritime Aquarium. Fabien Cousteau came in February to share insights and experiences in a special Aquarium lecture. Cousteau is a grandson of Jacques Cousteau, inventor of SCUBA gear and an inspiration to millions of ocean-lovers through his unique television shows of the 1960s & ‘70s, “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.” Growing up on the decks of his grandfather’s research vessels, Fabien Cousteau was destined to work to protect our planet’s immense and endangered marine habitats. He champions the family legacy as a third-generation ocean explorer and filmmaker.

Jack Hanna, adventurer and animal expert “Jungle Jack” Hanna, is one of the most visible and respected ambassadors between the human and animal worlds. His hands-on approach and insight into the public’s appreciation of wildlife have won him widespread popular acclaim as director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, conservationist, author, television personality, celebrity speaker, and lifelong adventurer. Hanna will give two presentations on May 7.

There is so much more going on at the Maritime Aquarium all year long that frequent visits to its website is a must. For information, times, schedules, ticket prices for any of the above events or IMAX films call (203) 852-0700 or go online to www.maritimeaquarium.org. The aquarium is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.