Species Special to Our Staff's Hearts

Certain species at the National Aquarium get a lot of love from our guests. Kids squeal when they see clownfish, and people ask our team a lot of questions about sand tiger sharks. Now, though, we're sharing a few favorites from our Animal Care and Welfare staff who care for the plants, fish, reptiles, birds, mammals and more at the Aquarium every day.

A Particular Plant

In addition to thousands of animals, the Aquarium's habitats wouldn't be complete without plants. From Harbor Wetland's salt marsh grasses to Australia: Wild Extremes' pandanus trees, a small team of horticulturists and volunteers cultivate and care for thousands of plants across our campus. For Horticulturist Graham Hunt, one stands out: the Ecuador philodendron.

"Its diverse looks are mind-boggling. Its leaves can range in size from 3 inches to 3 feet, and its stalks are fuzzy—sometimes so much so they're mistaken for a furry animal."

Native to the region from Costa Rica southward to Peru, the Ecuador philodendron can be spotted in the Upland Tropical Rain Forest, thriving at the base of the exhibit's cannonball tree. It starts its life as a climbing epiphyte (a plant that grows on another plant without harming it) before gradually descending to root itself in the soil. As it matures, its heart-shaped leaves retain a velvety texture and develop a burgundy coloration on their underside—characteristics that first caught Graham's attention. This coloration is thought to be adaptive, allowing the plant to maximize the light it can absorb in the lower-lit areas of the rain forest floor.

An Ancient Fish

The Aquarium is filled with fishes from ocean basins and river systems around the world. Some flash silver, like the lookdowns in Maryland: Mountains to the Sea; others flit by in brilliant streaks of color, like the fairy basslets in Surviving Through Adaptation. But the unassuming brown and beige Australian lungfish tops the list for Australia: Wild Extremes Assistant Curator Jess Nelson.

Australian lungfish are living fossils whose ancestors evolved and thrived around 400 million years ago. With their thick, paddle-shaped fins, single lungs, and ability to breathe air when water conditions are poor, they've fascinated scientists for more than a century.

For Jess, though, their temperament makes them one of her favorites. Their poor eyesight means she and other aquarists use sound-emitting targets, like maracas, to train them. The lungfish will seek out their preferred foods (they have their favorites, too) during training sessions by listening for those rattling targets. Their slower reaction times and tolerance allow Jess to interact with them, even briefly taking them in her hand to assess their body condition. It's both a testament to her efforts and their level of comfort.

A Responsive Reptile

A few floors down from the lungfish in Australia: Wild Extremes, ambassador animals reside in the Behavioral Husbandry space. One such ambassador is the bearded dragon, a favorite species of April Martin. Though April is now a senior marine mammal trainer, she started at the Aquarium over two decades ago as an Animal Programs training aide. Working closely with any animal gives insight into their communication styles, and bearded dragons have their own body language that made an impression on her.

"I loved the way they communicated. I could tell if they experienced a negative interaction by their heads bobbing or beards darkening. But with positive interactions, they'd wave a front leg!"

Watching them learn was another highlight for her, she recalls. Training a behavior is usually more successful when it's built off an animal's other typical behaviors—and bearded dragons have been known to display over 70 different behavior patterns related to social interactions, maintaining body temperature and defense. Although it takes patience and lots of positive reinforcement, they make an excellent case for how more animals can learn behaviors than one might expect.

A Gentle Feathery Giant

From semi-aquatic puffins in North Atlantic to the Pacific to the screaming piha in the Upland Tropical Rain Forest, guests can see more than 30 species of birds at the Aquarium. Aviculturist Jack Eibel's favorite is a hyacinth macaw nicknamed Mabel.

Native to pocketed regions of South America, hyacinth macaws are the world's largest flighted parrot and are easily recognized by their blue coloration. Blue and purple are among nature's rarest colors, so seeing an animal decked out in sapphire hues is already a treat. As Jack explains, it's not a pigment or tint that gives Mabel her coloration. Her feathers look blue due to tiny air bubbles and microscopic structures within their barbs and barbules that reflect blue light. That it's a structural color instead of pigment becomes apparent after giving Mabel a bath, when her feathers take on a greenish color thanks to the water interfering with how the light scatters.

What really makes Jack appreciate Mabel is her relatively mellow demeanor and penchant for people. Hyacinth macaws are known as gentle giants, and she is no exception.

A Charismatic Mammal

Senior Marine Mammal Trainer Kimmy Barron has been drawn to Atlantic bottlenose dolphins since she was young. She was intrigued by the dolphins' intelligence, curiosity and social nature, and inspired by watching trainers form strong relationships with them.

"The trust shown between dolphin and trainer inspired me to pursue a biology degree and make this my career. Having fun with an animal that recognizes the bond we've built ... there's nothing like it."

The individuality expressed by each dolphin combined with how they respond to different trainers means each relationship is unique—just like those that humans form with one another. Communicating and building such relationships across species is both challenging and exceptionally rewarding.

Your Turn

With so many species under our roof, these favorites only scratch the surface. Are you ready to visit the Aquarium to find a few new favorites of your own?