Dolphins have never been native to Baltimore, but the city has had them anyway for years thanks to the National Aquarium, which acquired its first flippers when it opened in the early 1980s. This week, the institution announced plans to relocate their eight remaining dolphins to a sanctuary by 2020. Here’s a look back at the history of these mammals in Baltimore.
In a recurring series, The Darkroom takes a look back at some of the talented photojournalists who have helped enrich the pages of The Baltimore Sun. One such photographer was Lloyd Pearson.
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.
Rounding up cute creatures from the Maryland SPCA to the Maryland Zoo and National Aquarium. Photos by Scott Bradley and Karl Merton Ferron.
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Sun videographer Kevin Richardson takes us behind the scenes at the new Blacktip exhibit at the National Aquarium.
It was quite the gig at the National Aquarium. A skin-tight, sequined mermaid costume with a 15-foot train. A team of frogmen carried her across a makeshift pond and placed her on a rock. Cameras clicked and flashed. Three seals paid a visit followed by then Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer in an old-fashion swimsuit.
Deborah Lee Walker, who posed with Schaefer for the iconic 1981 photo, shares her tale three decades later: “I had no idea it was going to be as big a deal as it was. But it turned out to be the most fun I ever had on a job.”
Sun photographer Algerina Perna shares her fascination for jellyfish — otherworldly creatures, she says — that have intrigued her ever since childhood.
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