Bottlenose dolphins at the National Aquarium in Baltimore
The National Aquarium in Baltimore is home to eight Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, ranging from 5-year-old Bayley to 41-year-old Nani. Bottlenose dolphins can grow to 6 to 12 feet in length and weigh 400 to 800 pounds. Each dolphin eats 30 to 35 pounds of fish daily. Nani is the heaviest at the aquarium,
weighing in at 530 pounds.
-
- A dolphin plays in the tank before a training session. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Dolphin trainer Kerry Martens working with one of the eight dolphins at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Chesapeake and Maya during a training session at the National Aquarium. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- A dolphin performs an aerial maneuver for the spectators. Lloyd Fox/Sun Photographer #8638
-
- Children watch the dolphins swim at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- A water toy is used to squirt water against the clear aquarium wall as a dolphin on the other side tries to catch the spray. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Visitors sitting in the Splash Zone try and hide from the water splashed by the dolphins at the aquarium. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Visitors can watch the training sessions at the aquarium for free. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Children enjoying the dolphin training session after being splashed with water while sitting in the Splash Zone. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Allison Ginsburg the Manager of Marine Mammal Training gets in the water with one of the Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- There are over 30 species of dolphins in the wild. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Dolphins have 86-100 teeth used to grab slippery prey. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- It can take up to a year to teach a dolphin to flip. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Each dolphin eats between 30-35 pounds of fish a day. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Dolphins can grow to 6-12 feet long. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Allison Ginsburg is the Manager of Marine Mammal Training at the aquarium. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- The dolphins at the aquarium have daily enrichment and training that the public can view. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- A ball is used as a reward during a training session. This dolphin throws the ball back to the trainer after retrieving it. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- The dolphins at the aquarium range from 5 to 41 years-old. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- The dolphins at the aquarium all get stimulation through training sessions throughout the day. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Visitors get splashed by the dolphins while sitting in the Splash Zone. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Dolphins, like whales are marine mammals and need to breath through an air hole. The bottlenose dolphin, such as this one, have a beek with a curved mouth which gives it the appearance of a permanent smile. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- The dolphins learn to interact with the trainers. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
-
- Dolphin trainer Kerry Martens, right, gets some help from Julia Brodowski, age 8, of Macumgie, PA down near the dolphin tank. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)
All dolphins are mammals, like whales, and there are over 30 species in the wild.
The dolphins at the aquarium get a visual exam every day and receive four physical exams each year. In addition, the 13 dolphin trainers at the aquarium provide enrichment and training sessions each day to ensure the best quality of life for the dolphins.
Trainers use rewards to reinforce specific behaviors. Some of the rewards can be toys, fish or interaction with the trainers. The trainers also use a target pole, a long pole with a buoy at the end, which the dolphins are taught to touch and follow. The trainers subsequently introduce hand signals and
eventually get rid of the pole.
It can take up to a year to teach a dolphin to flip.
Baltimore neighborhoods
Baltimore street photographers
Year in review
Freddie Gray: protests, aftermath
24 hours with...
A. Aubrey Bodine
Viewing Baltimore from above