Watermarks

Fall 2025

Welcome to Watermarks

Fall is here, and so is the newest issue of Watermarks, your digital National Aquarium member magazine. Tag along with the Aquarium's six-person veterinary team for a typical (and super busy) day. Watch a documentary film that details how all the pieces of Harbor Wetland® came together to create this innovative exhibit. Peek over our shoulders as we feed Aquarium birds, sloths, dolphins and more. Follow a terrapin hatchling named Tiddles to his third-grade classroom at Thomas Johnson Elementary/Middle School in South Baltimore where he'll spend the next few months in students' care. Finally, break out the scale to see how the weight of our work—from animals to the salty solutions in which they swim—stacks up.

In This Issue

Dive into stories and videos about National Aquarium vets, the creation of Harbor Wetland, feeding time at the Aquarium, terrapin hatchlings that teach, and weights around the Aquarium.

A Feast for Fishes (Among Others)

With thousands of mouths to feed, preparing meals for National Aquarium animals is quite a production!

Learn More

Weighing It Out

Roots Restored: Creating Harbor Wetland

Fostering a Connection to Maryland's Diamondback Terrapins

A Day in the Life: National Aquarium Vets

A Day in the Life of Aquarium Vets

For the National Aquarium's six-person veterinary team, each day is as varied as the hundreds of species they care for. In addition to proactively providing routine exams and preventive care, they also have to react quickly when animals are sick or hurt. Go behind the scenes and follow the team through a single day of health checks, medical procedures, animal training sessions, preventive care and more.

A Vet's Day

Creating Harbor Wetland

We recently released a film that documents the planning, prototyping, pylon-driving, planting and patience that went into creating National Aquarium Harbor Wetland presented by CFG Bank. In addition to being the Aquarium's first free outdoor exhibit, it's the first floating wetland of its kind anywhere in the world.

Aquarium Kitchen Confidential

For National Aquarium Animal Care staff and volunteers, preparing meals for thousands of hungry mouths is part of their daily routine. Each animal's dietary needs depend on their species, life stage, size, metabolism and more. Customizing meals this way turns our Animal Care staff into part-time nutritionists and chefs as they thaw, chop, mix and plate dozens of dishes.

Senior Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer Scott Douglas Melton

"I'm always amazed by what people can accomplish when they come together—and I witness it every day at the Aquarium. Whether it's multi-year projects like Harbor Wetland or the daily animal care provided by our veterinary team, collaboration makes it all possible. As Aquarium members, you're an essential part of that teamwork, and we're so grateful for your support."

Tiny Terps Go Back to School

Each fall, the National Aquarium's education team brings hatchling terrapins from Poplar Island to local schools where they'll spend a year in students' care before they're returned to the island every spring. Follow a turtle named Tiddles to his third-grade classroom at Thomas Johnson Elementary/Middle School in South Baltimore through the Aquarium's longstanding Terrapins in the Classroom program.

It's Heavy Around Here

Caring for Aquarium habitats and some of the extra-large animals in them takes real muscle! How many pounds of salt do you think our team uses in a year for our saltwater exhibits? How many pounds of food does one sand tiger shark eat each week compared to one Atlantic bottlenose dolphin? A green moray eel and a reticulated whiptail ray are both about 6 feet long, but do they weigh the same? Test your knowledge and see how these things measure up.

Great Gifts That Give Back

This holiday, give fun, sustainable gifts that give back to the National Aquarium! An Aquarium membership is an experiential present that lasts all year long. We also offer gift cards, honorary donations, and Aquarium apparel.

Animal Updates Bumblebees, Babies and a Big Debut

With new babies growing behind the scenes and new animals arriving in our exhibits, the National Aquarium is humming with activity!

Close-Up, Head-On View of a Bumblebee Pufferfish Swimming
Side View of a Small Mummichog Swimming With Other Fish in the Background in the Chesapeake Marsh Exhibit
Juvenile Hosmer's Skink Being Held by an Aquarium Staff Member
Side View of a Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle Swimming Near the Bottom of the Atlantic Coral Reef Exhibit

More From Watermarks

Multimedia Home, Sweet (Temporary) Home

News Life's Work

Animals A Feast for Fishes (Among Others)

Support the National Aquarium Together, we can change the way humanity cares for our ocean planet.