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.

Related posts:

1. Catholic Schools Day at SeaWorld
2. Animal Connections: Meet Chloe the Barred Owl!
3. Aggies in Depth at SeaWorld

One of our green initiatives is fleet management. We have several pieces of equipment or vehicles that use alternative fuels. We use different types of electrical powered equipment such as forklifts, pallet jacks and segways. We also have vehicles that are powered with propane. We have several golf carts that are solar powered along with some pieces of equipment that are charged with solar panels.

Solar powered golf cart

And, we cannot forget the use of bicycles that our Security team often uses to get from place to place. For those pieces of equipment and vehicles that use diesel or gasoline, we have fueling practices that do not allow our team to refuel during the hottest parts of the day.

Many of our green initiatives allow our team members to play an active role. SeaWorld has a Team Member Recycling Center where team members can bring their clean and segregated recyclables from home. In the first year of our Team Member Recycling Center, we recycled over 10,000 pounds of recyclables!

Team Member Recycling Center

Team members who work in an office environment at the park have more efficient lighting than they had a few years ago. Some team members have even elected to work with less light fixtures in their offices. Less lighting saves on electrical consumption and also on the air conditioning demand in their area. Some team members are part of our SWEAT group – SeaWorld Environmental Action Team. SWEAT participates in different clean up activities as well as developing conservation initiatives that the park will undertake. The newest conservation initiative has the team going through the park and performing energy conservation audits by looking for ways to conserve energy throughout our facility.

Here are some community initiatives that you may not be aware of:

• Parking location for Northwest Vista College
• Location of VIA parking area
• Participation in CPS Energy‘s Load Curtailment Program

SeaWorld San Antonio is extremely honored to be awarded by the Alamo Area Council of Governments with an Air Quality Stewardship Award.

Air Quality Stewardship Award - 2010

We definitely have our work cut out for us to continue to reduce our impact on the environment. Through the support of our team members, we will continue to make SeaWorld an even greener place to work and visit.

Related posts:

1. The Greener Side of SeaWorld San Antonio
2. A Trip Like No Other: Studying Bottlenose Dolphins in Greece

Nurra the Bennett's Wallaby

This week, we would like to introduce you to Nurra, our Bennett’s wallaby.

Nurra was named in honor of our Adventure Camp program, as her name means “camp” in Aborigine.  If you have ever wondered how we decide on the names of our animal ambassadors, they often refer to something about that animal.  It could be something we observed here at the park, or something that pertains to their adaptations or habitats in the natural environment. Their name is usually in the native language of the area they are naturally found. Our resident camp counselors help Nurra’s keepers by assisting  with cleaning her habitat and preparing her food. Their camp experience also allows them a chance to hold her and have their pictures taken with her.

Wallabies, like their larger kangaroo relatives, are indigenous to Australia and Tasmania. They use their long tails for balance, and strong legs for jumping. They are nocturnal herbivores, spending a lot of time browsing for grass and plants. They use their sharp front teeth for cutting grasses, and their large, flat molars for grinding their food.

Wallabies usually live alone, except for females and their offspring.  They are a marsupial, which means that after the baby, or joey, is born, it continues to develop inside the mother’s pouch for up to an additional eight months.

Wallaby mothers have the ability to conceive while they are still caring for a joey in their pouch, but the embryo will not start to develop until the older joey has left the pouch.

The mother wallaby is able to produce two different kids of milk, a higher fat and energy rich milk for her older joey, and a less energy rich milk for the newborn still in her pouch. Joeys will usually separate from their mothers after about one year.

Not only does SeaWorld take care of Nurra, we also care for her distant relatives.  In 2009, Victoria, Australia experienced an unusually strong drought coupled with a severe heat wave. This precipitated major brushfires, devastating southern Australia, its communities, and natural spaces.

The SeaWorld Busch Gardens Conservation Fund awarded emergency grants to places like the Minton Farm Animal Rescue Center, to purchase food, bedding, and medical supplies for the distressed animals, including wallabies, in their care.

You can visit Nurra at the Animal Connections Reservation Center at the front of the park as she visits with guests throughout the day.  She also makes regular appearances with our day and resident campers, and tour guests.  Stop by and say hello!

Nurra meets a SeaWorld Camper

Related posts:

1. Animal Connections Conservation Center – Meet Susie!
2. Animal Connections: Meet Ginobili!
3. Animal Connections: Meet Chloe the Barred Owl!

Padre the Roseate Spoonbill

During your next visit to SeaWorld San Antonio, you may notice some new faces at the front of the park.  The former Clydesdale Hamlet is now the Animal Connections: Reservation Center.  This is a great place to start your day.  Here you can visit the Concierge Team for information about tours, interaction programs, camps, and other animal connections.  They can assist you with pass upgrades, cabanas, and dining programs.  Or, if you’re new to the park and you just need some advice on how to navigate around and maximize your visit, they can help you plan your day.

This is also a great place to see a few of our Animal Ambassadors who also happen to be native Texans.  Each of the animals you will meet here, (right now you can visit with a Roseate spoonbill, American alligators, and brown pelicans), are considered successes stories. This is because the populations of all three of these species were once critically threatened, but because of conservation efforts and responsible wildlife management, they have come “back from the brink” and their numbers are once again stable.

This week, I would like to introduce you to one of these animals, Padre the Roseate spoonbill.   Padre hatched here at SeaWorld San Antonio on July 16, 2005, but if you have travelled to the Texas Gulf Coast, you may have seen spoonbills like Padre in the marshy and grassy areas near the water.  They are also found in other coastal areas in the southern United States, the West Indies, Central America, and South America.

Spoonbills are one of 14 species of long legged wading birds. Much like flamingos, their feathers are pink as a result of the food that they eat.   Like many other bird species with beautiful plumage, Roseate spoonbills were hunted almost to extinction during the 1800s. Their striking pink feathers were popular on women’s hats, and hunters from all over the United States competed for spoonbill plumes.  In the early 1900s, roseate spoonbills began to re-colonize areas along the Gulf Coast and slowly increase in number.

Their bill is long and flat, a special adaptation for tactile feeding.  They swish their spoon-shaped bills back and forth in the water to find small invertebrates, fish, and crustaceans.

Padre swishes his bill back and forth to collect food from the water.

Spoonbills also make good parents.  During breeding season, the male gives the female gifts of nesting material to attract them.  Once mated, the pair remains monogamous.  Both male and female take turns sitting on the eggs and feeding the young.

You can see Padre here at SeaWorld, but as an Animal Ambassador he also has made several appearances on television shows, schools, and children’s hospitals.  Throughout the day, he will assist with conservation talks and guest meet and greets in the park. This summer the SeaWorld Adventure Campers will assist with training Padre to fly to guests so that they will have an opportunity to get an even closer look at this amazing, although unusual, bird. Don’t forget to come out and say hello to Padre the next time you’re in the park!

Related posts:

1. Animal Connections Conservation Center – Meet Susie!
2. Animal Connections: Meet Chloe the Barred Owl!
3. Animal Connections: Meet Ginobili!

The Attwater’s Prairie Chicken is one of the most critically endangered species of birds in Texas. It is estimated that there are only about 75 birds remaining in the natural environment.  This bird once thrived in the coastal prairies from Corpus Christi to the Mississippi river.

SeaWorld San Antonio has been working with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and other facilities (Houston Zoo, Fossil Rim, San Antonio Zoo, Abilene Zoo, and Caldwell Zoo ) to help bring this species off the endangered species list. Behind-the-scenes, the chickens live in private pens where they nest, have chicks, and if possible, are released back to the Texas wild.

The APC breeding season is from March through June. At this time the males will do a booming display to attract the females. After breading, the staff watches closely to monitor for eggs. On average, each female will lay 15 to 20 eggs in a clutch.

Once all the chicks in each facility have fledged, which means they are able to live independently, we have a meeting with all the facilities to determine how many and which birds will be released. There are three different protected wildlife reserves where the chickens are released. These are protected areas by U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

Working to help conserve such a vulnerable species can be very rewarding. To be able to see an egg hatch in a controlled environment is amazing, but then to see  that chick that you have cared for three months get released into the wild is breathtaking.

The number of the Atwater Prairie Chickens have increased this year alone from 50 to 75 out in the natural environment, with hopes of one day not having to worry the species survival.

SeaWorld is also involved in doing research with collecting semen. It is important to ensure that all eggs are fertile and that no egg is wasted.

The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund supports Attwater’s Prairie Chicken research and conservation projects in Texas. For more information on conservation efforts, please visit us here.

Related posts:

1. Diving Deeper: SeaWorld’s Conservation Efforts
2. A Trip Like No Other: Studying Bottlenose Dolphins in Greece
3. Animal Connections: Meet Chloe the Barred Owl!

Meet Chloe the barred owl at the Animal Connections Center

This week we would like to introduce you to Chloe the barred owl.  Chloe came to us from our sister park, Discovery Cove.

Chloe was originally found in a school yard eating from students during lunch. She would land on edge of the tables and wait for food.  Because of this behavior, the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Orlando felt she was probably a pet that had escaped or been released and they collected her.

It was believed that Chloe had imprinted on humans. Soon after many animals are born, they imprint on their caretakers. Imprinting is a critical behavior that establishes a bond between young animals and their parents. If an animal, such as an owl chick, is cared for and raised by humans at a very young age, it will no longer recognize itself as an owl, and will continue to seek socialization from humans.   A bird of prey with this behavior is considered non-releasable because their feeding behaviors are not safe in their natural environment. As a result, Chloe found a home at Discovery Cove.

Barred Owls like Chloe are medium-sized, gray-brown, and they are streaked with white side-to-side barring on the chest and up-and-down barring on the belly. Their eyes are brown, and the beak is yellow and almost covered by feathers. They have a long tail, and there are no differences in coloration between males and females.

Owls are nocturnal hunters, and prey mostly on small rodents. Most owls have unique, comb-like feathers that allow for silent flight. The leading edge is “fringed” so that the feathers, when moving, do not make noise when rubbing together. It is rare for the prey to hear an owl swooping in.

Owls have excellent vision.  Their eyes look forward in a fixed position and cannot move from side to side, as the human eye can. In order to see peripherally, the owl must turn its entire head. It is a myth that owls can turn their head all the way around. Owls have 14 neck vertebrae, allowing them to move their head 270 degrees.

Although these birds have excellent eyesight, they are also capable of catching prey using only their sense of hearing. Owl ears are located one higher than the other, increasing sound reception. During flight, the left ear captures sounds below while the right ear focuses on sounds from above. In addition, their face feathers create a disc, which works to trap and focus sound.

Chloe's face feathers create a disc that trap and focus sound

As predators, owls play an important role in the environment by controlling small animal populations. Because mammals are a primary prey item, this can be especially beneficial to humans, reducing the amount of food lost each year to rodents.

If you would like to visit with Chloe, or maybe even take a photo with her, you can meet her at the Animal Connections Conservation Center along with our other Animal Ambassadors. For information about other birds of prey species, visit this link on our ANIMALS website.

Related posts:

1. Animal Connections Reservations Center: Meet Padre the Spoonbill!
2. Animal Connections Conservation Center – Meet Susie!
3. Animal Connections: Meet Ginobili!

Flower beds in the entrance to Lost Lagoon

Our Landscaping team does an amazing job of keeping our landscaped areas looking immaculate! But have you ever wonder what happens to the plant material that is changed in our landscaped beds? One of the tasks of the Landscaping team is changing out our plant material with plants that will thrive with our climate. So what happens to the old stuff? We take it to a large container and it is taken to a composting facility. In the month of March 2010 alone, SeaWorld San Antonio was able to compost over 800 cubic yards of plant material.

Through the process of composting, plant remains and various other organic materials decompose and create a wonderfully enriched substance that can be reused in plants and gardens. Composting greatly assists with the reduction of wastes that would otherwise be sent to a landfill.

By composting at SeaWorld, we are saving valuable space in our landfill. Used plant materials are composted and help with nutrient availability and decrease watering needs of plants. There are numerous other benefits to composting too.

Compostable material from landscaping

For those of you thinking about composting at your homes, check out HowToCompost.org or your local hardware store may even have information on how to create your own compost bin.

Some items that you may have at home that are compostable include: cardboard rolls from paper towels or toilet paper, coffee grounds and filters, eggshells, fruit and vegetables, grass and yard clippings, leaves, houseplants, tea bags, and nut shells.

Things to keep out of your compost pile:
• Dairy products – can create odor problems and attract unwanted pests
• Pet wastes – may contain parasites, bacteria or pathogens and viruses that are harmful to humans
• Insect-ridden plants – the insects may survive through the compost process and transfer into the other plant material

As we celebrate Earth Month, let’s see what we can do to make a difference in our world.

Related posts:

1. Name That Plant
2. SeaWorld Knows How to Keep It Cool

Flamingos in their temporary home at Zoological Support

If you visit the park during the next few weeks, you might notice some usual residents aren’t where you expect them to be.

Last week, a team of over 35 people undertook the task of moving about 30 flamingos and dozens of water fowl back to our zoological support area.

Clearing the exhibit will allow lots of improvements to be made, including installing a brand new filtration unit, which will make the job of caring for so many birds a lot easier for the Aviculture Department.  By freeing up hours that were previously spent hosing down and scrubbing the exhibit, the bird staff will now have more time for bird enrichment, husbandry, and conservation projects. This will also conserve thousands of gallons of water every year by keeping the pond areas on a closed recycling system so that we can reuse the same water again and again. While the exhibit is under construction, it is also an opportunity to landscape the habitat in a way that encourages more natural nesting and breeding behaviors. We are now able to introduce taller plants for the flamingos, and bushes that are low to the ground for the ducks and other water fowl.

A female red-crested poacher receives a check-up by a veterinarian

Working with animals like flamingos can be a lot of hard work, but it can also be very rewarding.   Have you ever wondered about zoological careers at SeaWorld? Visit our careers resources website to find out about pursuing opportunities in marine animal science, and hear stories from our experts in the field. You can also check out our Careers Camp program, which gives young people an opportunity to work side-by-side with animal professionals and allows them to see first hand what a zoological career is all about.

Related posts:

1. Hidden Gems – Flamingo Exhibit
2. Animal Connections Reservations Center: Meet Padre the Spoonbill!
3. Cute Chicks!

We have a lot of activities planned that will include children’s crafts, educational presentations and the opportunity to see Magellanic penguins up close and chat with their keepers.  Special “penguin art” will also be on sale with all proceeds to benefit the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund.  World Penguin Day is a celebration that coincides with the annual northern migration of penguins.

Minestrone the chinstrap penguin shows off his art piece.

The Penguin Encounter at SeaWorld San Antonio is home to penguins representing four sub-Antarctic species including king, gentoo, rockhopper and chinstrap.  Most of our penguins swim and waddle in the 36-degree, snow-filled Encounter.  Magellanic penguins, a warm-weather species native to Chile and Argentina, can be seen during the presentations.

Can’t make it out on Sunday?  You can still celebrate World Penguin Day at home!

Test your knowledge about our feathered and flippered friends by taking our Penguin Poll.

Take a peek at the lives of penguins at SeaWorld.

Witness SeaWorld’s support in the incredible effort to rescue penguins devastated by an oil spill in South Africa.

Send your friends and family a (super cute!) penguin e-card from our Conservation Fund website to wish them a happy World Penguin Day!

Learn just about everything there is to know about penguins and impress your friends with your new penguin IQ.

This new event is sure to delight penguin lovers of all ages. It promises to be black and white and fun all over!

Related posts:

1. Check Out These Cool Chicks! Penguins at SeaWorld Are Breeding
2. My New Year’s Resolution is to Act More like a Penguin.
3. Celebrate Sharks at SeaWorld

Come meet Ginobili at the Animal Connections Conservation Center

Who is a native of Argentina, often seen in black and white, runs very fast and has powerful limbs, currently lives in San Antonio, and when you see him, you will probably be reminded of a basketball?

This week, I would like to introduce you to another member of our Animal Ambassador Team, Ginobili the Argentine giant tegu. Giant tegus are the largest of the tegu species, with distinctive patterns of white and black dots and stripes over their entire body.  They are omnivores, and here at SeaWorld, Ginobili enjoys a rounded diet of rodents, fruits, and vegetables.

Tegus use their long tongues to capture scents from the air.

Much like other reptiles, tegus have forked tongues which they use to sense smell.  If you have an opportunity to visit with Ginobili over at the Animal Connections Conservation Center, you’ll notice that he often will flick his tongue, which captures scent particles in the air.  Those scent particles are then taken into his Jacobson’s Organ, which is a sensory organ on the roof of his mouth for processing the scent. Interpreting scents tells tegus like Ginobili lots of information about their surroundings.

Another thing that many guests notice about Ginobili is his large jowls.  These chubby cheeks are a secondary male characteristic, and may help him look attractive to female tegus.

Argentine giant tegus can make great pets under the right conditions.  They are known to be docile and highly intelligent. However they require a lot of specialized care, including controlled temperature, humidity, light, and the right type of substrate for burrowing. As their name implies, Argentine giant tegus can grow to be very large (up to 4.5 feet and 20 lbs), and need a lot of space. Ginobili originally came from a family who purchased him from a pet store, but did not realize how large he would be. He soon outgrew the space in their apartment and was adopted by SeaWorld.

Ginobili meets SeaWorld Adventure Campers

The next time you’re at SeaWorld, don’t forget to stop by the Animal Connections Conservation Center and say hello to Ginobili and the other members of the Animal Ambassador Team. In addition to many opportunities to meet, touch, and learn about animals, you will also find out about SeaWorld’s conservation efforts locally and around the world.  See you there!

Related posts:

1. Animal Connections Conservation Center – Meet Susie!
2. Animal Connections Reservations Center: Meet Padre the Spoonbill!
3. Animal Connections: Meet Chloe the Barred Owl!