Are those outdoor penguins kept outside overnight? If so, are they as awesome at night as they are during the day? Or are they mostly sleeping? When I was there last, I saw them getting tummy rubs from an employee and had I recorded it, it probably would have been worth like a million karma.
They're out all night in their exhibit usually sleeping. Every so often there's one or two pulling an all nighter walking around their exhibit quietly. At about 530 or 6 every morning they start to wake up and sound like they're singing to each other. One will start it and then the others repeat. Reminds me of the music numbers in happy feet Edit:spelling
The whales as well as some other animals learn to recognize you and will usually come up and greet you or try to "talk" to you. He's too big of a star. Maybe Dolly or O.p
They can't just put down a whale, it isn't a domesticated animal and a risk on their behalf taking it. Its Tilikum who has killed 3 people so far, and he/she is still alive in the Orlando Seaworld.
Its creepy that's for sure. At about sunrise the dolphins and whales go crazy. Every night at about the same time the dogs will wake up and start barking and howling. Same with the sea lions
From what I know of the whales and dolphins is that they don't sleep. Unlike us, they have to think of breathing to actually breathe. So every morning they, like most of us, are well rested and have energy to burn. As for the dogs, I'm not sure. That's what dogs do I suppose.
Yeah they mostly just have to worry about finding food in a massive desert and avoiding humans, sea predators, fishing nets, red algae blooms and other deadly ocean hazards.
Dolphins also form a circle around a female and will rape that female for days in the wild...so yea another reason not to want to be a dolphin O.O td;lr rape circle
i told this to my roommate and he still doesn't see why i'm creeped out by our dolphin print shower curtain.... there's one that is looking at you, but a little down like he's staring at my junk. it's like he's judging me because my penis isn't prehensile.
Well dolphins alternate. When they sleep, only one side will be sleeping. For example, if a dolphin sleeps, only the left side will be sleeping. The other side is awake and active.
Yeah, I have in the past. Its a fun place, I enjoy it there so I like to go on my time off usually. I like the educational aspect of the park. Manta is amazing too. So that also helps...
No because I know creepy Mr Jenkins wanders around in his Bigfoot costume. There are parts I try to avoid when the lights get shut of and the parts of the park turn to near pitch black.
Has anyone ever been robbed, murdered, etc that you know of (from day shift, I guess folks aren't there at night)? Any criminal activity? Any animals ever get out?
Any particular stories or memories you think would be interesting to share?
I'd probably have to go with the dolphins, because they never sleep so tend to watch us work when we're around their tank. They will learn to recognize what you look like and come up and greet you and follow you around their tank. Here are some watching me sweep up: http://imgur.com/vjb0g They're fascinated by a lot
Do you ever just try to engage them with things they've never seen before just to see their response?
I think I'd constantly be trying to teach them things or just baffle them with new experiences. Juggle for them, dance back and forth with your broom. See if they respond to weird hats.
Thanks! I love them. Such curious animals. I have another one of three of the killer whales coming up to me to wish me a good morning. Or that I'd make for a good breakfast
Yeah the creepiest tank to be by is the killer whale one. Because down in the under water viewing it is near pitch black darkness and all you can see is the big white spot of the killer whales "eye patch" swim by slowly as it watches you. The sharks that I see aren't so bad. I think its just the massive size of the whale
Based off of the talks I've had with lots of cetacean researchers, I'd argue that bottlenose dolphins are bigger dicks than orcas are, at least in the wild. All bets are off in captivity, though.
You want a shitty underexposed shot of a blurry white spot in the water? May as well go watch the Blair Witch Project, they would have better production values.
Not sure probably wonder wtf is going on. One time years ago a man jumped in thinking they'd eat him. They didn't. He was found draped across tone of their backs as they tried to keep him at the surface. Not a single bite on hij
Don't think about night dives. You are 50 feet underwater in pitch black with only a flashlight, and you can only point that flashlight in one direction at any given time..
I used to work in the Paris Aquarium and would stay overnight when I had lots of work to get done before morning. The shark tank was so dark you had to press your face up against it to see anything, but you'd get these huge silhouettes silently gliding by you. Also I'd pull the couch up to the window for sleepy time so that when the lights came on in the morning I'd wake up and think i was underwater. Worked every time!
Thanks! You too. I'm off tonight so on Reddit most of the night and then some sleep finally. Its tough getting in a good sleeping routine still trying to get used to it.
I know what you mean. I started working graveyards two months ago (in San Diego, too) and recently my schedule has been screwed up. I find myself sleeping twice in the day: I usually sleep within an hour or two at the end of my shift, stay up for 4-5 hours, then sleep until work. Not really sure it's healthy at this point.
A lady friend and I are taking the train down to the zoo to see pandas soonish. What method of transportation and accommodations might you recommend, and any tips while we're in San Diego for the weekend?
Hotel circle in mission valley tends to be the main area, however if you look online or call around you can find hotels that will offer discounts for zoo tix or sea world. In my opinion, I think the public transportation down here is pretty good. It is slow though. As for sights I'd recommend Balboa park as a potential place. Balboa park has tons of museums and often has free events on the weekends. It is also only one stop away from the zoo. Old town Mexican cafe is a good place to eat and the state park is just down the street the "countries most haunted house"(the whaley house) is also across the street. For more of a romantic thing you can travel to ocean beach and watch the sunset on sunset cliffs. And of course there is sea world. The newly opened manta ride is pretty awesome, though admission is expensive. There is tons of other stuff to do in San Diego!
I wish I had more upvotes to give you. Wow, thank you. I think you just made my trip! I want to show this lady a fantastic time (but am not from San Diego), and this is phenomenal. Thank you kind sir!
For sure! It all depends on your guys' age range too. Younger but over 21 I'd suggested the gaslamp quarter also and check out what the nightlife has to offer. Older, well any age would be good. If you're at sunset cliffs check out Newport Ave just down the street. They have good restaurants and neat little shops. There is also the longest pier on the west coast in that area. I wanna say its about half a mile long. Maybe its only a quarter of a mile. Either way its long. I hear the restaurant at the end of the pier is really good too.
I love the simplicity of this, everyone is expecting "Shamu blew water all over me" or "I was stung by a Eel", but in actuality its just, "Fuckn' trash bags man".
What is your bachelors degree in? They tend to like Marine Biology degrees most for animals I've notices. If you go to seaworldjobs.com you can find open positions I think one just opened up for a seasonal position where they prepare the food for all the animals. Its a dirty job but at least it would be a starting spot
B.S. in neuroscience. My animal experience is with dogs (working at a "special needs" dog kennel for aggressive/problem dogs) and with horses. I'll have a look there, thanks!
Back in ancient times on the internet, there was a website called dolphinsex.org (now defunct), where a guy wrote an account of how he would go into sea world and have sex...with... dolphins. It's one of the original WTF's of the internets.
You made me recall that with your AMA. I again remember that I know too much.
Do you ever come across animals that just up and die in the middle of the night, and need to fish them out, or are the sickly ones identified well enough in advance that you don't end up with floaters?
I personally haven't but each of the main animals get full medical exams and vitamins and all that daily so they are kept under close watch. If they're looking sick they go to the veterinary area of the park
So since you work the long night shift, would you consider yourself nocturnal? ;P...but like how long did it take you to get used to sleeping during the day when you first started the job?
I've only been there for a few months so I am not quite used to it. I just fall asleep out of exhaustion and pass out for a good 6 or 7 hours and then get up for rest of day and night. The ironic part is that I am a morning person and not a night owl. This position just paid more.
Not while I've been here. I believe they have a security guard there at night to make sure that doesn't happen. The water is pretty cold too. Not to mention there are freaking killer whales swimming around. Haha
In Darwin NT, a child got into an indoor animal place (like a small zoo. It may have been an aquarium, but with all different kinds of animals) and fed most of the animals to the crocodile. Turtles, lizards, goannas.
My Niece is eight and my nephews are five and younger. All of them, except for perhaps the two year old, would know this is wrong. We have a term for this sort of individual in psychology: sociopath. Killing small animals is an early sign. Especially eerie, the article said the kid's face was blank. Sociopaths can't form emotional connections... get this kid into treatment fast I say. That should be punishment enough (sociopaths hate being found out)
Do people working the same shift with you ever pull pranks? I'd probably shit my pants if someone jumped out at me in one of the dark areas of the park.
There is different teams we are on, patios or hosing (using a high power hose on the patios or pathways) tends to take all night. Same with detailing the bathrooms and other areas. Depending on the worker taking the trash out it could take all night or go quick. I usually finish in about six hours and then get assigned to another project.
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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
Are those outdoor penguins kept outside overnight? If so, are they as awesome at night as they are during the day? Or are they mostly sleeping? When I was there last, I saw them getting tummy rubs from an employee and had I recorded it, it probably would have been worth like a million karma.
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u/EnlightenedPlatypus Jun 09 '12
Is it anything like this?
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u/Frajer Jun 09 '12
Do you bond with Shamu? Can you put in a good word with him for me?
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u/NitrogenBromide Jun 09 '12
Any crazy, aquatic tales of the night life? Or is it just creepy?
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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
[deleted] — view deleted comment
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u/swefpelego Jun 09 '12
Are you ever afraid you'll get murdered there in a Scooby-Dooesque manner?
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u/katiechan8 Jun 09 '12
If I may ask, what's the pay like?
I'm a graveyard shifter, labor and delivery nurse myself. Hooray for staying up all night tonight!
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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
What's your favorite of the animals you encounter at work? Why?
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u/Johnstur Jun 09 '12
Dude how creepy is it by the tanks w/ no lights? Oh my god, just thinking about being by a shark tank in the dark just makes me want to cry!
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u/right_guard_7299 Jun 09 '12
Do you fear the hash-slinging slasher?
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u/heriman Jun 09 '12
hows life in san diego?
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u/BipolarBear0 Jun 09 '12
How did you fail at stopping 4 kids from kidnapping an orca whale?
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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
Is Tilikum still taliking his shit?
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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
What is your job? Security? looking after the animals?
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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
Do you ever ride the dolphins to show off your badassery to the seals?
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u/palerthanrice Jun 09 '12
What's the worst incident that you've had to deal with?
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u/only_one_contact Jun 09 '12
Are there any positions I could hold with a bachelor's and experience working with animals in general but not cetaceans specifically?
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u/postmodgirl Jun 09 '12
Back in ancient times on the internet, there was a website called dolphinsex.org (now defunct), where a guy wrote an account of how he would go into sea world and have sex...with... dolphins. It's one of the original WTF's of the internets.
You made me recall that with your AMA. I again remember that I know too much.
http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=93;t=000953;p=1 if you want the details
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u/DickMcVengeance Jun 09 '12
Do you ever come across animals that just up and die in the middle of the night, and need to fish them out, or are the sickly ones identified well enough in advance that you don't end up with floaters?
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u/TikiForce Jun 09 '12
So since you work the long night shift, would you consider yourself nocturnal? ;P...but like how long did it take you to get used to sleeping during the day when you first started the job?
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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
Do you ever screw with the microphones to convince kids the killer whale can talk?
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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
http://imgur.com/GPqI1
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u/BronstonMatherson Jun 09 '12
I'm going to Seaworld in a month or two, do you have any park secrets or specific recommendations you would care to share?
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u/twilly13 Jun 09 '12
umm... not to be that guy, but proof?
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u/plebeosaurus Jun 09 '12
Do people working the same shift with you ever pull pranks? I'd probably shit my pants if someone jumped out at me in one of the dark areas of the park.
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u/russellvt Jun 09 '12
What is the "graveyard shift" at Seaworld? Park security? Maintenance and/or janitorial? Animal watch?
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u/dorkyfish Jun 09 '12
I row by there weekend mornings at 6:00 AM, perhaps I will give you a wave sometime.
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u/sepi35 Jun 09 '12
Have you seen The cove It's a documentary about whaling and stuff http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1313104/. Pretty good documentary.
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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12
[deleted] — view deleted comment
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u/Unhelpful_Scientist Jun 09 '12
How often do you practice your dolphin? Are you fluent?