Nickole Perez

Professor Nicholas Lux

Environmental Science
15 April 2016

For this assignment, I took a trip with my best friend to the New England Aquarium,
located in Boston, Ma. Neither of us had taken a trip to the Aquarium in quite some time, so we
both were excited to see what was in store since our last visit during our younger years. Instead
of getting caught up in the typical Boston traffic, we decided to take the MBTA into the Blue
Line Aquarium stop, and within a few steps from there, we had made it to our destination. There
were many exhibits to see, and of course we visited them all, but the ones I found particularly the
most interesting happened to be the Giant Ocean Tank in the center of the facility, the Sea Turtle
Rescue Exhibit, and the Penguin Exhibit.
Firstly, I felt that the Giant Ocean Tank was a beautiful display of marine biodiversity
that is commonly seen amongst wildlife across the Earth. There were many, many different
species within this Giant Ocean Tank- 109 species of just fishes alone to be exact, according to
the interactive touch pad provided every 10 feet or so. Amongst the vast species of fish, there
were also various displays of different coral reefs, southern sting rays, bonnet-head sharks, and
the Aquariums famous Myrtle the Turtle a giant green sea turtle that has lived in the care and
captivity of the Aquarium since 1970. The Giant Ocean Tank showed its audience species
diversity- that numerous populations could live amongst each other in harmony, without many
known casualties. This also gives the viewers a sense of value to the colorful beauty that is found
in marine biodiversity.
Secondly, I felt that the Sea Turtle Rescue Exhibit was a very informational, and a very
important exhibit to the Aquarium. This exhibit heavily emphasizes on sustainability, as it
displayed many interactive replicas of endangered sea turtles and their diminishing health due to
how much pollution we produce as a society. These interactive displays were able to show
visitors the kinds of diseases the sea turtles succumb to due to this pollution, as well as the kind
of rehabilitation that these creatures endure on the road to recovery- including a diagnosis and
treatment scenario, and eventually their heroic release back into their natural habitat.
Lastly, the well-known Penguin Exhibit found at the very entrance to the Aquarium
showed a wonderful display of mutualism between two species: the Little Blue Penguins and the
African Penguins. This exhibit seemed to the one of the largest in the facility, and two-thirds of
the tank were inhibited by these two populations, the third being Rockhopper Penguins, whom
seemed to linger amongst their own kind. Upon observation, the Little Blue Penguins and
African Penguins didnt seem to mind each other in the least- often laying against one another,
and occasionally providing a good cleaning in the hard-to-reach areas, such as the back of the
neck or lower back. Both species did a lot of lounging, and from time to time, would vocally
respond to each other. It was a rather calming sight, and towards closing time, these two species
couldnt help but nuzzle next to each other until the next day followed their slumber.
 Overall, I would say that this was a very enjoyable experience. It was refreshing to revisit
a part of our childhood and see what had changed over the years. I had a better sense of
appreciation for the biodiversity in our world, now that I discovered my passion in life is wildlife
conservation, although, I must admit the aquatic variety is not my favored species. I absolutely
loved the Sea Turtle Rescue Exhibit, and that the New England Aquarium is a huge contribution
to the rehabilitation of the sea turtles found right off Cape Cod. I loved that it showed the impact
of our irresponsibility, or rather, our naivety to our impact we have on our environment. The
interactive replicas and videos really touched me, and only made me feel stronger about the steps
we can take to begin to protect our Earth once again. The touch tanks were wonderful as well,
and only my best friend was brave enough to embrace the sting rays. It was enjoyable to the
many eagerly curious children that stayed glued to the side of these tanks. If you touched these
aquatic creatures, there were sanitary stations to make sure you did not carry any foreign germs
on you. This also promoted the use of hand driers and had small signs that emphasized the
impact that paper towels had in the contribution of the decomposition we produce. Although, I
found this a bit contradicting once I used the restrooms in the facility; the bathrooms only
provided the visitors with paper towels- which only defeated the intended fight for sustainability.
I found that a bit humorous, as it made me recall my family visit to Ecuador in 2014. Ecuador is
a major activist for environmental sustainability- in each and every major airport, or any major
facility stop at that, there are only hand driers to be found. Ecuador is very strict on how their
residents treat the environment, and generally it is very clear of impurities.
The only additional thing I found to personally dislike was the octopus exhibit. This is
due to my only personal infliction with such an intelligent creature, as I cannot get past its eerie
movement, the idea that it would rule over me in its element, and the supposed rumors of its
mastered Houdini acts of escaping their enclosed tanks. This left me checking every corner to
make sure I did not stumble upon a hidden, rogue octopus. I did admire the octopus tanks from
afar, but never up close, and only as I was leaving the Aquarium, to calm my squeamish mind.
My best friend and I ended the day with the typical gift shop visit, leaving with a handful of
trinkets, and purchasing the traditional Aquarium photo that you take once you enter the
building. As we exited, we admired how the sea lions bobbed like buoys once they lazily
surfaced for air, and mutually agreed that the trip was well worth the experience and memories.