Facts & Tips on Feeding Koi and Pond Fish: California

Sea otter gives birth to pup in front of visitors to Monterey Bay Aquarium in California

Visitors to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Northern California got to witness a live birth by a wild sea otter over the weekend.

The sea otter picked a rock in the aquarium’s Great Tide Pool to give birth to her pup on March 6, 2016. This is the second time since December that an otter has used the tide pools as shelter to give birth.

The aquarium said that, for many of their researchers, this is the closest look they’ve ever had at a wild sea otter birth.

“We’re amazed and awed to have had a chance to witness this Monterey Bay conservation success story first hand in our own backyard,” the aquarium wrote on its Tumblr page.

Onlookers “oohed” and “ahhed” as the mother otter began to groom her pup immediately after giving birth. Otters lick the fur of their newborns to make them buoyant.

“A well-groomed sea otter pup is so buoyant it’s practically unsinkable,” the aquarium said.

After three days in the protected area of the Great Tide Pool, the mom and pup headed back out to sea.

In the past, sea otters were hunted for their fur to near the point of extinction. In part due to legislative protection and conservation efforts, more than 100,000 to 150,000 sea otters are in existence, according to National Geographic.

Sea otter gives birth to pup in front of visitors to Monterey Bay Aquarium in California

Coast Guard gives turtle a lift from Oregon to California

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 25 (UPI) – A sea turtle rescued in the frigid Pacific Northwest was airlifted by the Coast Guard from Oregon to the more hospitable climate of Southern California.

Solstice, an endangered olive ridley turtle rescued Dec. 21 on Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula, hitched a ride Tuesday on a Coast Guard C-130 training flight from Oregon, where she was being treated at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, to San Diego, where she will complete her rehabilitation at SeaWorld.

Evonne Mochon-Collura of the Oregon Coast Aquarium, said Solstice handled the three hours of air travel well.

“The crew was able to maintain a suitable temperature in the cargo area. [An hour into the flight,] I had the Coast Guard lift the lid. She was resting and calm and fine,” she told U-T San Diego.

Aquarium officials said Solstice was dehydrated and her body temperature was low when she was found in December. They said sea turtles usually don’t go farther north than Southern California, as they require water that’s about 70 degrees to survive, but they are sometimes lured as far north as Alaska by water currents and food supply.

Solstice is expected to complete her rehabilitation and be released into the wild during the summer.

Freaky Fridays!!! LEGOLAND California Resort Adds Two Friday Nights to Its Brick-Or-Treat ...

CARLThe biggest kids’ Halloween celebration in San Diego, Brick-or Treat and Brick-or-Treat Party Nights, presented by Shutterfly, is about to get bigger at LEGOLAND^® California Resort. The family theme park is adding two Friday nights (Oct. 17 & 24) to its Halloween festivities.

Now six nights in October, Brick-or-Treat Party Nights features a variety of family activities including the Ghost Cruise Scavenger Hunt, Brick-or-Treat Trail including a LEGO^® Legends of CHIMA™ toy giveaway, a new bonus treat station and dance party at SEA LIFE^® Aquarium and LEGOLAND Hotel is joining in the fun with its own Brick-or-Treat entertainment.

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Every Saturday night and two Fridays in October from 5 to 9 p.m., the Park transforms into a not-too-spooky Halloween celebration. Brick-or-Treat Party Nights is a special event and admission can be purchased for as low as $30 if purchased online in advance.

Special event ticket holders can enjoy costume contests, nighttime trick-or-treating for children 12 and under at 12 treat stations throughout LEGOLAND California Resort where kids can gather goodies, tasty treats and other surprises.

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The LEGO themed treat stations offer a safe, fun and entertaining trick-or-treating experience for all to enjoy during Party Nights with festive music, live entertainment, interaction with the “Boo Crew,” the animated light show “Spirits of Halloween” and fireworks capping off the night at 9 p.m.

During Party Nights, guests can “boo-gie” down at three frighteningly-fun dance parties: the new Hubble Bubble’s Dance Party, the Monster Fighter Mash Character Dance Party or Wanda’s Jellyfish Jam in SEA LIFE Aquarium.

Several ghostly fun areas of LEGOLAND are open late and included in the Party Nights special event ticket on October 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25, including Land of Adventure, Castle Hill, Imagination Zone and Park favorites: Coastersaurus, Safari Trek and Fairy Tale Brook. Kids can participate in fun activities like Hubble Bubble’s Ultimate Dance Party, mingling with the “Boo Crew” including Silly Scarecrow, tap dancing skeletons, Dr. Hyde’s percussion cart plus the interactive show, “Mail Order Monsters.”

Special event guests can also enjoy entertainment from the “Witchettes,” a splash artist creating Halloween-themed paintings to music and master ventriloquist Kevin Johnson returns to the stage at LEGOLAND.

Also new, an additional treat station at SEA LIFE Aquarium giving guests two bonus treat stations filled with treats and other surprises to its Brick-or-Treat Party Night festivities. Admission to SEA LIFE is included with a Brick-or-Treat Party Night special event admission.

Daytime trick or treating is available from 12 – 5 p.m. on weekends in October, with three treat stations at LEGOLAND and one treat station at SEA LIFE Aquarium. SEA LIFE also offers a special themed daily dive show featuring underwater pumpkin carving, a Halloween puppet show and daily creepy creature appearances every weekend in October adding to the Halloween fun!

LEGOLAND Hotel also joins in Brick-or-Treat spirit with Halloween decorations, nightly entertainment from the Boo Crew’s Dr. Rodney Rathbone and his monster fighting crew and Halloween building activities for the kids.

In the Halloween spirit, community sponsor Union Bank is donating 300 tickets to local Boys and Girls Clubs allowing members to visit this year’s Brick-or-Treat festivities during the first weekend of the month-long celebration.

During Brick-or-Treat, LEGOLAND is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

SEA LIFE is staying open until 8 p.m. on Saturdays for those wanting to explore the Aquarium after dark.

Admission to Brick-or-Treat Party Nights can be purchased for as low as $30 if purchased online in advance. For exclusive savings and more information on Brick-or Treat and Brick-or Treat Party Nights, visitwww.BRICKORTREAT.com or call 760-918-5346.

LEGOLAND^® California Resort includes LEGOLAND California, SEA LIFE^® Aquarium, LEGOLAND Water Park and LEGOLAND Hotel. All are geared for families with children between the ages of 2 and 12. At LEGOLAND California, you’ll find more than 60 rides, shows and attractions including LEGO Star Wars™ Miniland Model Display, Pirate Reef and Dino Island. SEA LIFE Aquarium is home to more than 5,000 living creatures and incorporates LEGO^® models into a child’s voyage to the depths of the ocean featuring play zones, fun facts and quiz trails. LEGOLAND Water Park features more than seven slides, sandy beaches and the unique Build-A-Raft River. New this year, LEGO Legends of CHIMA Water Park presented by Cartoon Network where guests splash about in a Lion Temple Wave Pool, slide out of a crocodile’s mouth and race LEGO boats. The nation’s first LEGOLAND Hotel features 250 rooms, all themed either as pirate, adventure, or kingdom plus more than 3,500 LEGO models throughout the three-story hotel. For more information, visit www.LEGOLAND.com or call (760) 918-LEGO (5346).

Freaky Fridays!!! LEGOLAND California Resort Adds Two Friday Nights to Its Brick-Or-Treat ...