Banggai Cardinal
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Shrimpfish
Wordless Wednesday: Under the Sea
September 1, 2010 by Katie Preuss • No Comments »
Posted in Wordless Wednesday
They Grow up So Quickly! Sakari is SeaWorld’s Ray of Sunshine
August 31, 2010 by LesliePopiel • 3 Comments »
Posted in animals
As Sakari gets closer to her eight month birthday she continues to learn and develop new skills daily. She grows more and more independent each day, too! Having a very curious nature, she will often swim away from her mother, Takara, to explore environmental enrichment devices- toys and water sprayers- or even the other whales. During sessions, Sakari will stay with her own trainer to learn and play while her mom interacts with a trainer in a different location.
With each show, we laugh and applaud as our little one “takes her first steps.” Sakari has learned several new behaviors by simply following her mother. She seems to have a grasp on bows, jumping right next to her mom, but in other scenarios Sakari just leaps from the water, twisting, splashing, and evoking smiles from every onlooker. She is learning to turn upside down and wave her tail with Takara, too, but watch out! Sakari is learning to splash with that tail! If you haven’t been to a show recently, come on out and see her fun antics!
Sakari has demonstrated an interest in the trainers as well. Often the first one to come over at the start of a session, she seems eager to interact with us. She has learned to line up in front us to receive a good back rub. 
More importantly, this behavior allows us to examine her more closely. We are also teaching her to roll over. Once she learns to lay out with her belly to the sky, we will be able to teach her to lay her tail fluke in our laps. This is an essential behavior known as a fluke present which enables us to easily (and for her, voluntarily) collect blood samples that provide valuable information regarding her health and help us care for her more effectively.
While still nursing and receiving daily nutrition from her mother, Sakari now eats a steady diet of capelin. Initially she would play with pieces of fish that Takara would share with her. Where fish-smashing was once her interest, swallowing the fish whole like the big whales is the new norm.
Sakari is our little ray of sunshine. Every day with her is an adventure as she discovers new things she can do, experiments with new vocalizations, learns from her mom and learns with us.
Back to School Resources for Teachers from SeaWorld
August 27, 2010 by KellyMorales • No Comments »
Posted in Community, conservation
Now that summer is coming to a close and “Back to School” time is here, we would like to share some of the many resources we have for teachers. From online materials to in-park programs, we provide resources that enable students and guests to develop a lifelong appreciation, understanding, and stewardship for our environment.
In-Park Field Experiences:
Our Shamu University Programs are designed to connect your students with animals in meaningful and memorable ways. Whether you spend time with a SeaWorld Instructor or chart your own course with the curriculum we provide, you’ll find inspiration in SeaWorld’s animal presentations and habitats and pick up valuable lessons along the way. Plus, our programs support Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.
ANIMALS Website: 
SeaWorld also maintains the largest animal information website of any zoological organization. ANIMALS features more that 4000 pages of zoological, ecological, and conservation-minded material – including multimedia- photo, video, and audio of species reference sources, conservation projects, zoological career information, and more.
Curriculum Guides:
Did you know that you can incorporate SeaWorld not only into your science curriculum, but across other content areas as well? Teacher’s Guides have been developed for all grade levels at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens to help you teach your students – in an active, hands-on way – about how people interact with the environment and how we can best care for Earth’s resources. Each guide is free to download, and includes goals and objectives, information, vocabulary, a bibliography, and classroom activities. Activities strive to integrate science, mathematics, geography, art, and language.
Land Sea and Air Mail:
Still looking for even more up-to-date resources? Subscribe to Land, Sea, & Air. Each month, we will flesh out a particular animal-related topic through four primary channels: Animal Activities, The Wild, Connections, and Currents. Land, Sea, & Air is offered as a monthly e-newsletter delivered via email.
Environmental Excellence Awards:
Is your school doing something great for the earth? You could be qualified for the 2011 SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Environmental Excellence Awards. Since 1993, the awards have recognized the outstanding efforts of students and teachers across the country who are working at the grassroots level to protect and preserve the environment. Over the last 17 years, we’ve awarded $1.7 million to more than 150 schools in 35 U.S. states/territories.
Shamu TV:
Shamu TV, the Emmy award-winning environmental education series from the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Worlds of Discovery brings you face-to-face with the wonders of wildlife. Each episode features unforgettable stories about amazing animals and the remarkable efforts of people working together to save some of the world’s most endangered and threatened species. Airing via satellite, Shamu TV has an estimated viewership of over 42 million and is broadcast into schools and by local cable channels and PBS stations throughout the United States. Select episodes of Shamu TV also air frequently on Discovery Kids and Animal Planet.
Teacher Workshops and Teacher Camp:
Want to dive even deeper – while earning Texas State Board of Education credit hours? Choose between a half-day Teacher Workshop, or for the ultimate educator experience, our four-day Teacher Resident Camp. During the Teacher Workshop, we’ll discuss animal adaptations, natural history and behaviors. Then, we’ll gather multi-disciplinary tools to find out how to relate animals to the classroom with activities in math, writing, science, social studies, and more. Teacher workshops can be tailored to fit the interest of your group of at least five teachers. For more information, contact me here.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work with animals at SeaWorld? Our four-day Teacher Resident Camp is a terrific way to earn continuing education units while having the time of your life. Our animal experts will work alongside you and bring you face to face with marine mammals. You’ll be amazed at the new experiences you’ll bring back to the classroom.
You know it better than anyone – the power of learning. At SeaWorld, we share your passion and applaud what you do every day. The curiosity and inquisitiveness you spark in your students are essential building blocks for a lifetime of learning and critical thinking. It’s these skills that will take the students of today successfully into tomorrow.
Scaresquad Auditions
August 26, 2010 by ChrisJordan • 1 Comment »
Posted in Uncategorized
Do you enjoy scaring your friends – Or how about your brothers and sisters?
Well imagine getting paid for it!
Come audition for the SeaWorld San Antonio Scaresquad and have a ghoulish time scaring your friends!
Auditions are Thursdays and Saturdays from 5 until 8 p.m. through September 4. Please call 210-523-3309 for further information.
Bring your best screech, howl and scream – be prepared to have a whale of a time!
And yes, scary clowns freak me out too…….
Cheers!
Chris
Waterstone Snacks in Lost Lagoon
August 12, 2010 by Katie Preuss • No Comments »
Posted in Around the Park
With only a few weeks left to enjoy the summer heat, take the opportunity to visit SeaWorld San Antonio’s Lost Lagoon waterpark. When you visit, check out the newly opened Waterstone Snacks inside the waterpark, where you have an additional area to grab a quick snack or cool off in the shade!
To satisfy your snacking needs Waterstone has a variety of goodies available. Items include popcorn, Shamu shaped pretzels, churros, an assortment of Blue Bunny novelty ice cream bars, Pepsi products, and bottled water.
Waterstone is located near the Splash Attack play area inside Lost Lagoon. So if you are feeling hungry, thirsty, or just want some shade we welcome you to visit. See you soon!
PassMember Advantages 8/15/2010
August 10, 2010 by JenniferBailey • No Comments »
Posted in Around the Park, Events, Our Town, SWSA Insider, Uncategorized
It’s that time again, where every pass member can be a winner. Don’t forget to come out to the park on August 15 between noon and 4 to spin the wheel. We will not be giving out the free tickets this time, but the $20 Lowe’s gift card is still the big prize. In the past we have had up to 3 winners of the Lowe’s gift card in the same family. WOW! I wonder what they bought? Hmmmm.
In addition to PassMember Advantages, we just had a mailer go out promoting a new Friend For Free offer. Each annual pass member is able to log onto the website using your unique barcode (beginning with the letter A) and zip code and print off (1) One Free ticket. The ticket is available online now through September 26, 2010 and will need to be used by September 26, 2010. The name of the friend that will use the ticket will need to be entered before the ticket will print.
Hope to see lots of pass members on August 15 and feel free to email me with any questions.
Your Personal Pass Representative.
Jennifer
Wildside Bloggers Reunite
July 30, 2010 by Brian Carter • 3 Comments »
Posted in Uncategorized
IRL – it’s an acronym used when online friends meet “In Real Life.”
Shamu drops in on the Wildside Reunion Ice Cream Social
Last weekend, nearly 20 Texas bloggers got together IRL for the Wildside bloggers reunion. This is the second year that SeaWorld has hosted the event, during which a group of select bloggers from across the state converge at the park for a weekend with their families.
Many of these folks communicate with each other regularly on the Web – either through comments on their blogs, Twitter messages or Facebook posts. So, the chance to see each other in the flesh isn’t one they get very often. The bloggers hail from all over the state, from Dallas and Austin to Houston and San Antonio. The Wildside reunion gave them a chance to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, and experience the fun of a day at SeaWorld with them all.
I had the pleasure of meeting a few of the bloggers at previous SeaWorld events, but this was the first time for me to meet many of them IRL. We started the weekend with an Ice Cream Social at the nearby Holiday Inn Northwest, a great hotel partner known for being San Antonio’s greenest hotel.
Debi (aka @MomonMars) meeting our umbrella cockatoo. Photo by @Kamichat.
Our host, Penny Herring with Holiday Inn, treated us to ice cream and cake since the reunion weekend happen to fall on a birthday Wildside blogger MommaDJane’s teenager daughter, Topanga.
At 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, we met at SeaWorld to enjoy the day. First on the agenda was stopping by Dolphin Cove to feed the dolphins. Since the rest of park doesn’t open until 10 a.m., this is a great activity to get in early.
Next, we dropped by Castaway Cafe to grab a bite and meet some animal friends. One of the bloggers, MomonMars, got to hold one of the animal ambassadors – Susie the umbrella cockatoo. As it turns out Susie is no spring chick, but at 30 years old she’s only middle aged.
After that, the Wildsiders and their families left to experience the park, blasting Tweets throughout the day to let each other know what was going on.
Finally, we all caught up for the 5:30 showing of Azul: Lure of the Sea. It was a completely packed house, so everyone scrunched together to watch the show. And after the show, we got to meet a few of the cast members.
The Wildsiders are true friends to SeaWorld’s animals and staff. In fact, one of the Wildside attendee’s husband, Sean, is a tennis blogger and he’s offered to get me connected to the tennis scene in San Antonio. That’s what these folks do best – make connections – and I feel fortunate to have connected with them IRL.
Where has all the time gone?
July 29, 2010 by JackHarvey • 1 Comment »
Posted in Adventure Camp
Wow! Hasn’t the summer just flown by. It’s been a busy summer for us at Adventure Camp but before we know it, school will have started and we’ll be back to weekend operations. We’ve had over 2,500 campers experience our resident camps, day camps and sleepover programs since the summer began.
If you follow Camp on Facebook, you’ve probably seen some of the cool things our campers get to do, from sleeping in front of sharks and penguins to meeting animals to learning about energy and wildlife conservation. I think my favorite part of day camp each week is on Thursday, all of our Ocean Quest campers gather near the new Animal Conservation Connection Center and receive a presentation by our Animal Ambassador Team. They’ve been introduced to animals like pythons, armadillos, cockatoos and alligators. They often learn what we can do in our own backyard to help animals on the other side of the world like recycling and eating food that’s grown or harvested responsibly. They also learn what it means to be responsible pet owners: making sure you can take care of a animal for as long as it lives and meet its needs no matter how big it gets or how much it eats.
We still do have a few camps left before the end of summer.
- Ocean Quest – day camp program for 5-12 year olds.
- Small Wonders – day camp program for 3-4 year olds accompanied by a parent.
- Family Sleepover – spend the night with your family at the Sharks/Coral Reef Exhibit and learn about our animals. Only available August 10.
We’ve even got some great specials on Ocean Quest camps for the rest of the summer. You can either register one child and receive another half off, or pay full price and receive a Fun Card for the camper. For more information about these programs or more programs we’re offering this fall, give us a call at 1-800-700-7786 or online at www.seaworld.org.
Gig “em
Jack
More than just a place to work…
July 8, 2010 by Brian Carter • No Comments »
Posted in Uncategorized
At SeaWorld, our fellow employees aren’t simply co-workers – we’re team members. And as members of the same team, it’s important for us to take care of each other and have fun in the process.
In that vein, here are a few photos of us doing just that – having fun and being a team!
(From top to bottom)
Kitchen Kooks – Our Park President and Vice Presidents took over Breakaway Cafe, our team member cafeteria, to serve breakfast and lunch. To the surprise of some team members (not this one, of course), the fare was very tasty.
Kickball Fun – SeaWorld has several kickball teams that play regularly. Don’t let the outfits fool you, these players come to win!
Serving up lunch in the team member cafeteria.
Park President, Dan Decker, makes a MEAN sausage and kraut!
Kicking it - Hawaii Five-O style.
Dressed for success. They won the game, too!
Celebrate Sharks at SeaWorld
July 7, 2010 by KellyMorales • 4 Comments »
Posted in animals
Celebrate sharks at SeaWorld during the month of July
When I first started working at SeaWorld, I’m not going to lie; I was excited about being around all of the “cute” animals. Dolphins! Penguins! Sea lions! Shamu! I mean, who could blame me? I was eager to learn more about them, and I knew my guests would be eager to hear all I had to say while around their habitats. Win-win!
Then there were the sharks. I mean, I always thought they were cool, but they didn’t tug at my heart like some of the other animals. I’m sure I had the same pre-conceived ideas that most guests have when they think about sharks. Stop for a minute, and think about what comes to mind when you hear the word “Shark”. Scary? Menacing? Mysterious? Danger? It’s easy to think those things, given what we are usually told about them on television and movies.
The truth is, once I got to know more about sharks, different words started coming to my mind. Awesome. Important. Beautiful. And, unfortunately, Misunderstood. There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding sharks, but there are also so many amazing facts about them that it’s hard not to like sharks a whole lot more once you get to know them too. Here are a few of my favorites:
Most people immediately think of teeth when they think about sharks. While looking at their rows of teeth may be impressive, there is so much more to the story. Each species of shark has a different shaped tooth depending on their diet. Their teeth can be broad and serrated like a knife for seizing and cutting, or long and sharp like fork tines for catching smaller prey. Because of their biting force, they often lose teeth while feeding. Some species of sharks can lose and replace up to 30,000 teeth in their lifetime!
Because they are the “scavengers of the sea”, a shark’s senses are well adapted for honing in on prey that is weak, sick, or injured. They have an incredible sense of hearing, and a keen sense of smell, and their eyes are especially adapted for seeing in low light. They have pits on the underside of their snouts called Ampullae of Lorenzini. These sensory pits help the shark sense electrical currents from other animals, and allow them to know exactly when to bite down. They also have a lateral line, which is an adaptation to help them sense vibrations in the water.
Sharks are important to ocean ecosystems because they keep populations healthy by feeding on weaker animals. This leaves the stronger ones to survive and produce stronger young.
Sharks eat far less than most people imagine. Cold-blooded animals have a much lower metabolism than warm-blooded animals. In fact, in a zoological environment like SeaWorld, a shark eats about 1-10% of its total body weight each week. Studies done on wild sharks show that they have similar food intakes.
Over the years, people have used sharks for food, medicines, and vitamins; shark teeth for weapons and jewelry; and shark skin for sandpaper. But today some shark populations are on the brink of extinction. Shark meat is a popular food (with many sharks being caught only for human consumption of their fins). And thousands of sharks are caught by accident, snagged in nets set out to catch other kinds of fish.
Today, I can honestly say that sharks are probably my most favorite animals to talk about. This is why I am very excited that during the month of July, SeaWorld San Antonio will be celebrating sharks! This celebration will include shark talks and activities at our Sharks/Coral Reef exhibit, and each morning, we will be screening our “Saving a Species-The Shark Story” in Sea Star Theater. This 2-D movie delves into the mysteries of these fascinating creatures. You will learn about the variety of shark species, their amazing adaptations, and find out what is being done to protect and preserve sharks worldwide.
Learn more about sharks with our online Sharks Animal Info Book.
Are you a teacher looking for ways to bring sharks to your students? Check out our Shark Teacher Guide.
Want to get even closer? Touch a shark and hand feed their closest relatives, the stingrays, on our Behind the Scenes Tour and our Stingrays Up Close Tour.
We are very thrilled to be able to share these stories with you, and we hope to see you this month!
