New England Aquarium

08/30/2026

Is it shark fact or fiction? 🦈

Sharks always seem to spark our curiosity! With shark sightings in the news and sharks making waves in pop culture, it’s not always easy to know what’s fact and what’s just a fishy story.

That’s where shark biologist Ryan comes in! Ryan is a research scientist at the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life. He has loved sharks his whole life, so he knows just how fascinating they are. He’s helped us break down some of our favorite shark facts and myths, from how to spot a great white to whether we’re actually seeing more sharks than ever before.

Read Ryan’s full article in Worcester Magazine’s Woo! Science series to get the facts behind some of the most common shark myths: https://bit.ly/4xcgmcm

Shark Week is a time celebrate all things shark. At New England Aquarium, it's a time to showcase a creature that swims in folklore as well as fact.

08/29/2026

27 years of Mystic, the cownose ray! 🥳

Mystic is a cownose ray who lives full-time at our Quincy Animal Care Center. She has been at the Aquarium since 2008, and spent many years in the Giant Ocean Tank before moving to Quincy for her much-deserved retirement.

For her birthday, our Quincy staff presented Mystic with a tasty cake made of fish and shrimp that she seemed to thoroughly enjoy!

Cownose rays usually live about 18–20 years in the wild, so hitting 27 is a huge milestone. Here’s to many more happy, healthy years, Mystic! 💛

08/28/2026

Scenes from our latest right whale research cruise in the Gulf of St. Lawrence! 🐋💙

Earlier this month, researchers from the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life and the Canadian Whale Institute were aboard the 65-foot Jean-Denis Martin, a chartered crab vessel, for their third research cruise in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This was the final leg of our joint summer research trips!

The larger vessel allowed the team to venture farther offshore and stay out overnight, helping them cover more ground as they searched for North Atlantic right whales. They spotted many right whales (including two mother-calf pairs!) as well as several leatherback sea turtles and seabirds.

The team photographed and identified individual whales, captured aerial footage with drones, and collected blow samples and oceanographic data, all of which provide valuable information for ongoing research.

Another successful research cruise in the books! 🔬🐋

📸 1-3: NEAq
📸 3-7: Canadian Whale Institute

📌 All research and photos collected under DFO Canada SARA permit. This research is done in collaboration with the Canadian Whale Institute and is made possible thanks to the generosity and support of our partners Irving Oil and the Island Foundation.

08/27/2026

Come with us to a training session for our leopard whiptail rays!

Hannah, a senior aquarist on our Interactive Exhibits team, takes us right into the Trust Family Foundation Shark and Ray Touch Tank for a special training session.

We have two leopard whiptail rays in this exhibit, and because they’re the largest animals in the tank, they need a little extra food to stay healthy and strong. Training helps our aquarists make sure they’re getting the nutrition they need, while also helping the rays get comfortable working with us.

08/26/2026

Summer isn’t over yet!! ☀️

Looking for a fun way to make the most of the last few weeks of summer? Come visit the Aquarium and check out our Dockside Beer Garden!

Sip on cold beer from local craft breweries and treat yourself to a variety of appetizers, salads, and sandwiches.

Stop by today and soak up the sunshine with us!

08/24/2026

The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument is a biodiversity hotspot! 🌊🐋🐬

Last week, the Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life aerial survey team flew over the Monument and had an incredible day in the air, spotting more than 2,000 animals representing 15 species.

Among the sightings were fin whales (including a mother and calf!) humpback whales, manta rays, four species of dolphins and, yes, even 11 whale sharks! The team also spotted a blue whale on the way to their first survey line.

Many of the observed animals were actively feeding. Whales were filtering prey from the water, while manta rays and some of the whale sharks were spotted with their mouths wide open. The team also observed patches of zooplankton, likely krill, in the water.

Why so much diversity? The warm Gulf Stream meets the deep submarine canyons at the shelf break, creating nutrient-rich waters that attract a wide variety of species, including seasonal visitors like whale sharks, manta rays, and hammerhead sharks.

The amazing sightings and beautiful photos from this flight highlight just how much of a summer biodiversity hotspot the Monument can be!

More: https://bit.ly/4zBsQf1

08/23/2026

At the Student Conference on Conservation Science, early career researchers from all over the world meet to connect, share ideas, and work together to advance conservation in new and inclusive ways!

Aurora Silva, a Marine Conservation Action Fund Early Career Ocean Professional project leader for the Aquarium, attended the conference earlier this year and presented her poster about fishers’ relationships with marine wildlife, showing that these connections go beyond the usual focus on the trade-off between conservation and tourism.

For Silva, attending this well-known conference was a great opportunity. She was able to meet people from major NGOs and conservation groups, and she asked about funding, career options, and possible partnerships.

More: https://bit.ly/4wxOoGV

MCAF project leader Aurora Maguina Silva shares her experience attending the SCCS conference at the University of Cambridge, England.

08/22/2026

POV: you booked a harbor seal encounter 🦭💙

Our Atlantic Harbor Seal Meet and Greet gives you the opportunity to get up close and personal with these fascinating marine mammals! Learn about their biology, see some of their trained behaviors, and, if you're lucky, you may even get a kiss or a splash from one of the seals. 🥰

Note: These meet and greets are only available through September and will return later this year. Rules and regulations apply.

Book your meet and greet and read more about the experience and program details: https://bit.ly/4x7SwOF

08/21/2026

Some things (or turtles) only get better with age. 💅🏽🐢

We estimate that Myrtle, our Giant Ocean Tank queen, is somewhere between 75 and 95 years old, although we don't know her exact age because her hatch date is a mystery.

When Myrtle arrived at the Aquarium in 1970, just one year after we opened, she was already an adult green sea turtle. That means she was at least 20 to 40 years old then!

So, Myrtle has been swimming through life for roughly eight decades, and frankly, she’s earned every senior discount she can get. 😉

Happy National Senior Citizens Day to Myrtle and all the other seasoned citizens out there! 💚

08/20/2026

We had some beautiful weather for our fifth sea turtle release of the season! 🐢☀️

Yesterday, our team released four Kemp’s ridley sea turtles back into the ocean off Cape Cod after months of specialized care.

“Dumpling,” “Jumble,” “Lucky,” and “Old English” were rescued from Cape Cod beaches in November and December 2025 after becoming hypothermic. At the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, our staff treated the turtles for a variety of life-threatening conditions, including pneumonia, dehydration, and trauma.

With their health restored, all four were cleared to return to the ocean! With this release, the Aquarium has now released 38 rehabilitated sea turtles this summer! 🎉