We’ve all been there – the ups and downs of picking your NCAA Basketball Tournament bracket. You may be winning the office pool, or you may have lost some cool-points by coming in dead last, but no matter what, you had fun watching every game and every upset.

Our sea lions have joined in on the fun too – picking great (and not so great) teams to win. They’ve won some and they’ve lost some, but they’re still in it now for the final championship game that takes place here in Houston.

See the video below as they sink their final basket for the season. They’ve picked UCONN to win the tournament! Will they be right? We will find out tonight as UCONN and Butler go head to head.

While they are amazing at picking basketball winners, our sea lions have many other talents too! Schedule a behind the scenes tour to get up close and personal with these incredible animals.

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is taking over the city of Houston this weekend for the Final Four! Our sea lions here at the Houston Zoo have joined in the celebration by making their selections of who the game’s winners will be. They had a pretty great track record during the Sweet Sixteen, selecting some upsets such as Butler and Kentucky (see here for the full details).

Our sea lion Kamia has picked the winners of the two Final Four games taking place in Houston this Saturday. Watch the video below to see her sink a few baskets and announce her picks.

Do you love watching the sea lions in action? If so, don’t forget that there is an entertaining and dynamic sea lion show every day here at 11 am and 2:30 pm that is FREE with your Zoo admission. You can also schedule a special behind the scenes look at sea lions, and if you’re lucky, you may even get a sea lion kiss!

Last Friday, we posted a photo on Facebook and asked you to leave your best caption in the comment section. Then readers could “like” each caption comment to vote for their favorites. Their votes, combined with those of our own panel, determined the caption to appear under the picture right here on the Official Houston Zoo Blog this week. We hope you’ll come back for the fun EVERY FRIDAY.

YOUR VOTES HELP DETERMINE THE WINNERS!

Here is the picture that was posted on Facebook last Friday, with the winning caption by Melissa Fellers!!!    WOOT SAUCE!

* Milissa Erdelt Allen: “And that, sweety, is the story of why seals let the humans have the dry parts of the Earth. Now it’s time for bed. Good night! *smooch!*”

Aw mom...do I have to? My friends are watching!!

 There was a tie for First Runner Up between:

* Michael Byron “I know you ate the last fish popsicle! Let me smell your breath.”

* Milissa Erdelt Allen “And that, sweety, is the story of why seals let the humans have the dry parts of the Earth. Now it’s time for bed. Good night! *smooch!*”

* Erik Burington ‎(Maybe if I act cute, and kiss her enough, she won’t send me to school!) I (kiss) love (kiss) you (kiss) mom (kiss,kiss, kiss)

Second Runner up:

* Connie Quinn-Reese “See, I told you…my nose is WAY pointier than yours!! Whats up with that??”

And just ‘cuz it was so creative, an Honorable Mention goes to:

* Sheila Livingston: “Let’s play telephone. “The clownfish said the anemone was shocking”-pass it on!” (We didn’t just “Like” it Shelia, we LURVED it.

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Thanks to everyone for participating

and

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!  

DID YOU KNOW:

The Houston Zoo has TWO sea lion shows scheduled every day of the week? You can come see them at 11:00 AM and at 2:30 PM.

You can also take a behind the scenes tour at Sea Lions, see where they go when off exhibit, meet them in person, enjoy their antics and even get your own kiss (makes a great picture)!  Visit http://www.houstonzoo.org/events/tours/cat/

Makes a great date, gift or family outing that you will remember forever!

*******

Check out our Facebook page to see the rest of the entries. We hope this brought a smile to your face. And stay tuned for next Friday’s photo! Tell your friends, share this on Facebook, Twitter or your own blogs, and start your office pools to see who can come up with the best lines. (To show the picture and link on your social media, just click the little icons under the title SHARE THIS on the lower left of this post).To find us on Facebook, type in Houston Zoo Inc. in the search field or go to http://www.facebook.com/houstonzoo and become a fan.

One of the most understated, yet biologically diverse areas to be found anywhere is right in our own backyard in Baja California, Mexico. When someone mentions biological diversity most people think of the Amazon, or the Serengeti.  But the Sea of Cortez, which separates the Baja peninsula from mainland Mexico, is one of the most biologically rich areas on the planet.  The Sea of Cortez contains a series of small islands, many of which are home to species of reptiles and cactus that are endemic only to each particular island.  The waters of the area are perhaps most famous as the calving grounds of grey whales but they also teem with many other whale and dolphin species, birds, manta rays, whale sharks , and my personal favorites, California sea lions.

Our Baja Escape  scheduled for December 10th – 15th offers the opportunity to explore the Sea of Cortez aboard a National Geographic ship.  The ship is small which allows it to navigate the waterways in the Sea of Cortez.  A smaller ship means fewer guests so you’ll have ample opportunity to interact with the National Geographic biologists aboard.  The ship also boasts an ‘open bridge’ which means guests are free to visit the bridge and see what it takes to navigate a ship through challenging waterways.

We’ll have time not only for drinking in show-stopping sunsets and whale watching from the ship’s deck but also for hiking, kayaking and zodiac trips around the islands that we visit.  Of course the part I am most looking forward to is snorkeling with the sea lion residents on Islas Los Islotes.  This group of sea lions is well used to having humans snorkeling around their home beaches and the youngsters often come out to see what these awkward masked and flippered creatures are up to.

This is truly a destination that rivals anywhere on the planet for beauty and wildlife viewing opportunities so check out the links above and book your adventure to Baja and the stunning crystal blue Sea of Cortez.

That's Astro on the right snoozing with his friends Cali & Kamia

Since our cute sea lion pup, Astro, is the picture of the day it seems like a good time to remind everyone that the carelessness of humans can cause problems for the wildlife that many of us love and respect.  It’s easy to see the scar on Astro’s neck.  Fortunately the original wound has healed completely, leaving only the scar, but Astro’s wound could have been prevented.  It was caused by him becoming entangled in marine debris.  Marine debris is any man made item that ends up in the ocean instead of the trash.  In Astro’s case it was probably fishing line that someone left at the beach instead of cleaning up after themselves.

Fortunately for Astro he was rescued and found a home at the Houston Zoo where he helps us educate people about this problem.

The good news is that it’s easy for all of us to do our part to help!  Never leave trash for anyone else to clean up, including fishing line and food containers that you might take to the beach with you.  Try putting your lunch in reusable containers and toting it along in a reusable bag.  The less trash you generate the less you have to clean up!  Easy!

—H.G. Wells

When the extraordinary Planet Earth series debuted on TV in February 2007, it grabbed attention around the world. 65 million of us had a regularly scheduled date in the living room for 11 weeks in a row, and sat riveted by breathtaking photography and the miracle of nature. Shot in the fairly new medium of HD, it took us to places and allowed us to bear witness to things we’d never seen before.  Everyone everywhere was talking about it — at the dinner table, via e-mail and around the water cooler (imagine, no one was tweeting yet!).

Starting this Sunday, March 21, Discovery Channel and the producers of Planet Earth bring us a new series called LIFE. Last night I was invited to watch a screening of the first episode, Challenges of Life, at the Landmark River Oaks Theatre, hosted by Target and BBC.  It is a particularly dramatic theme: The instinct to survive inherent in all living things and their ability to adapt to sustain the species.

LIFE, Discovery Channel's new series to begin this coming Sunday night

Narrated by Oprah Winfrey, the visuals remain spectacular, the stories engaging and the educational value excellent.  With this first ep covering foxes, whales, seals, reptiles, insects, plant life, primates, octopi, big cats, hippos and more, there is something for everyone.  Standouts to me were the way a small population of common bottle nose dolphins have learned to teach fish to jump right into their mouths, the lengths that a strawberry poison dart frog mother goes to ensure her babies grow and thrive, and how a primate species use tools.  With the latter, it’s at once uncanny and unsettling to see their arms and legs making the exact same motions as our own, and their faces frown and show the same exasperation as we do in learning how to wield a large rock as a hammer.

This strawberry poison dart frog is an immensely dedicated mother

All show considerable intelligence and drive that can only encourage new or heightened respect for the creatures we share the planet with. While these examples take place in exotic locales, it can’t help but remind us that to those who take the time to look, there is drama and spectacle going on all around us, all the time — in any tree or on a simple blade of grass.

It makes you think twice about burying yourself in your hand held device 24/7.  Hopefully.

Overall, the subject matter is nothing short of motivating.  Simply by making it this easy and appealing to explore the world we live in at a deeper level, the conclusion is this: We live in a gorgeous, fantastic, miraculous, wonder filled world. As the dominant species, we should and must do everything in our power to conserve and preserve it and all that lives.  There is nothing like the awe inspired by a show like LIFE to jolt us awake to this fact, and fuel a passionate desire to honor and protect our forests, oceans, plains, and mountain ranges, and all of their inhabitants.

Now there’s something to tweet about.

So clear your schedule to again be enchanted, amazed and inspired, brought to you by mother nature… and the producers at BBC and Discovery Channel! 

LIFE starts this Sunday, March 21, on Discovery Channel. It runs through April 18 and treats us to double episodes each time (8-10PM ET/PT). And stay tuned after the final show on April 18 for a special called, The Making of LIFE at 10 PM.

Written by Rochelle Joseph. Visit me at my animal and nature blog at:www.naturegirrrl.blogspot.com

Thank you to Discovery Channel and BBC for all photos but the dart frog from Michigan Science Art.

Click On My Photo To Vote For My Name

So what do they do for the U.S. Navy? Sea lions recover pieces of Navy hardware from the ocean floor and reattach them to the machinery from which they originated. Preventing unauthorized trespasses onto and around piers, harbors, and ships comprise the majority of their work. It’s important to note that these animals are never used to attack or confront trespassers.

Much of the work these animals do has replaced the work of human divers. Due to their exceptional underwater eyesight, hearing, and, or course, swimming capabilities, sea lions can endure the murky, tumultuous underwater environment of the ocean much more comfortably and efficiently than people.

Extremely High IQ

Another important reason as to why sea lions are the animal of choice for such extensive endeavors is that they have an extremely high intelligence level. Some studies have found evidence that these animals may have the ability to reason logically, making it relatively effortless to train them when compared to other less adept species.

The Navy Marine Mammal Program Foundation specializes in working to better understand the nutrition, behavior, ecology, and physiology of these animals in order to generate greater public awareness of their lifestyle and of the importance of their species being protected.

*Our Species of The Week Contributor is Stefanie Hanselka

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