Meerkats

Special Exhibit:  "They're so cuuuuute!"  Meet a family of meerkats, one of Africa’s most entertaining species.

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. As the popular “Meerkat Manor” television series showed, the family-based “mobs” are not lacking in daily drama – from internal relationship issues to battles with other “mobs” encroaching on their territory to the ever-present fear of jackals and eagles.

“These are active animals with very charismatic faces and highly interesting social structures, so they are a lot of fun for visitors to watch,” said Jack Schneider, the Aquarium’s curator of animals.

The exhibit features six sibling meerkats – three males, three females – born in the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Their Maritime Aquarium habitat offers windows into their underground burrows, so all meerkat activity is within view. A viewing bubble even lets young visitors stand up right among the meerkats.

Meerkat Activity Sheet

3 Rare Lobsters, All at One Time!

The unusual lobsters are of average size and look like normal lobsters except for their surprising coloration.

Genetic variations (most likely) prevented their shells – or exoskeletons – from the blackish-green color of normal lobsters. So, instead, the blue lobster is a rich sky blue; the calico lobster is a mottled yellowish-orange and black; and the orange lobster is the color of a Halloween pumpkin.

Africa: From the Desert to the Sea

Sponsored by Bank of America

Special Exhibit:  Explore the aquatic wonders of Africa and be home by dinner.

See amazing fish from the Nile River, Red Sea, and lakes of Africa’s Great Rift Valley in this exhibit featuring some of the lesser-known but equally fascinating aquatic animals from the African continent. Species highlighted include air-breathing lungfish, catfish that use bioelectricity to sense their surroundings, colorful cichlid fish, and dazzling coral reef fish. Plus, bonus species are giant day geckos, black mud turtles and enormous ground boa snakes.

Interspersed throughout are important messages about animal adaptation, the importance of habitat preservation and conservation, stories that show how fish from the other side of the world face challenges similar to those in Long Island Sound. A great way to “explore” Africa for less than the cost of a tank of gas!