As you can see, each seals' tongue is shaped a little bit differently. Here are a few of the seals that we have trained or are in the process of training the tongue behavior.

One of the most popular questions the trainers hear is "How do you tell the harbor seals apart?" The answer sounds simple; just by looking at them, but it can take a long time if you don't see the seals every day. First you need to know who is in the exhibit. We currently have seven Atlantic harbor seals in the plaza exhibit--two males and five females. We can divide them into two easily identifiable groups, the 'spotted' and the 'non-spotted' seals. The spotted seals have distinct dark spots on their necks and bellies. All of the 'spotted' seals are related.

Painting is one of my favorite things to do with the seals. Each painting is unique and we like to figure out what different paintings look like. Check out this example of one Chacoda did that resembles a man diving. This is a video of one of Lana's recent painting sessions. The paintbrush fits into a red holder that she bites on to. I ask her to "take" the brush holder and then "paint."

Rochelle and I were the only two trainers on last week. With seven seals to feed you might think it would be difficult, but this is where those name targets come in handy. Each of us did two sessions with five seals at a time, which allowed the other trainer to focus on two. It was enriching for both us and the seals; you will notice that Rochelle and I didn't always feed the same animals or even line them up in the same order, but by using those name targets we were able to keep the five seals together calmly and give everyone the attention they deserved.

Now that 2009 is here, many of us are hoping to keep our New Year's resolutions. One popular resolution is to be healthier, either by quitting a bad habit or trying to eat better. The New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center is scheduled to open this year so fitness is on the minds of many aquarium staff. The animal training staff is no exception and we vowed to be more active in 2009. If we just did some of the behaviors that the seals do everyday, we would be making a good start. So here are a few examples of some seal behaviors that we thought we would try.

Each seal seems to have a place or position in the exhibit where they feel most comfortable. After a long day at the office, Lana likes to find her favorite spot in a shallow area, put up her flippers, rest her head on a rock and relax. To me it looks like a guy in a La-Z-Boy.