Businesses and places of gathering around the globe are temporarily shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a big hit on people’s jobs, financial security, and overall wellbeing. It’s hard to be away from work and the activities that bring us joy, but luckily aquariums around the country understand this. They’re not slowing down during quarantine. In fact, a number of them are bringing their exhibits into your home virtually and for free, and offering other forms of entertainment to boot.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium in California has a ton to offer right now. They have a live sea otter cam, where you can watch adorable otters play in their exhibit from the comfort of your home. We could watch these little dudes all day, and now we can!
It’s the Sea Otter Cam—with rescued wild sea otters for the first time ever! https://t.co/ga3Rnd5Aw4
— Monterey Bay Aquarium (@MontereyAq) March 19, 2020
The aquarium’s YouTube channel is also loaded with goodies, including “Morning MeditOcean.” These guided meditations use jellyfish to soothe you as you get ready to start your day. Their YouTube page also has a Live Jelly Cam where you can watch the jellyfish float all day, also set to comforting music and sounds.
If you’re into penguins, you can also check out their penguin cam and learn more about these spectacular birds.
Good afternoon! We're here to answer your penguin questions with the Penguin Cam! https://t.co/SvqWLaguix
— Monterey Bay Aquarium (@MontereyAq) March 18, 2020
Speaking of penguins, the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago let two of their rockhopper penguins–Edward and Annie, a bonded pair– wander the premises to look in on other exhibits.
The adventure continues! 🐧🐧
— Shedd Aquarium (@shedd_aquarium) March 16, 2020
This morning, Edward and Annie explored Shedd’s rotunda. They are a bonded pair of rockhopper penguins, which means they are together for nesting season. Springtime is nesting season for penguins at Shedd, and this year is no different! (1/3) 👇 pic.twitter.com/VdxN3oQAfe
Other penguins from the aquarium also got to explore and meet other animals.
Penguins in the Amazon?! 🐧🌴
— Shedd Aquarium (@shedd_aquarium) March 15, 2020
Some of the penguins went on a field trip to meet other animals at Shedd. Wellington seemed most interested in the fishes in Amazon Rising! The black-barred silver dollars also seemed interested in their unusual visitor. pic.twitter.com/KgYWsp5VQD
Likewise, the Texas State Aquarium let their flamingos stretch their legs and see parts of the aquarium totally foreign to them.
Atlanta’s Georgia Aquarium also has a ton of services for folks stuck at home. You can watch live cams of various exhibits featuring animals like penguins, beluga whales, sea lions, piranha, puffins, and more. They also provide a live feed of their coral reef exhibit.
The Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga also has live otter cams, and offers daily Facebook Live sessions exploring various parts of the aquarium.
Tune in to our Facebook Live (or River Otter Falls webcam: https://t.co/rZO94p6DFy) at noon to watch a special snow day enrichment session! pic.twitter.com/TpZyzTBSds
— Tennessee Aquarium 🐢 (@TNAquarium) March 18, 2020
The Florida Aquarium just launched a program called SEA-SPAN, another Facebook Live streaming event every day at 10 a.m. local time that features updates on the aquarium during closure.
Tomorrow we are launching SEA-SPAN, a daily Facebook Live at 10:00 a.m. to keep you updated on the happenings at the Aquarium while we are closed. 🐟 Tune in tomorrow to see our lemurs celebrate #StPatricksDay! 🍀 #FloridaAquarium #SEASPAN pic.twitter.com/01SVo4kcRH
— The Florida Aquarium (@floridaaquarium) March 16, 2020
#SEASPAN is live on our Facebook! Check it out and sing along. 🐙 #FloridaAquarium https://t.co/N4CfR0tZPw pic.twitter.com/muodd7piyD
— The Florida Aquarium (@floridaaquarium) March 18, 2020
The New England Aquarium offers virtual tours with their educators, to learn more about the exhibits and animals.
If you need even more soothing jellyfish content, look no further than the National Aquarium’s website, where you can stream live feeds of various reefs, jellyfish exhibits, and more.
We may be closed to the public, but our exhibit livestreams are a great way to still experience the Aquarium from home!
— National Aquarium (@NatlAquarium) March 16, 2020
You can stream live feeds of Blacktip Reef, Pacific Coral Reef and Jellies Invasion every day by checking out the link below. 🖥️🐠 pic.twitter.com/pmIzBWzDgw
We definitely recommend seeking out your local aquarium online to see if they offer similar at-home entertainment. It’s the perfect way to relax, and it’s a taste of wildlife you can’t get for the time being. There’s no better way to stay connected with the world around us than to remember it’s still thriving–and will be waiting for our return when this is all over.
Featured Image: Monterey Bay Aquarium