• Learn about our porcupines and how we care for them from the experts.
• All participants must be age 10 and over. Children age 12 and younger must be accompanied by a paid adult.
• Handheld camera permitted, but must be silent (no shutter sound), and no long lenses.
• Please be aware that these animals are being fed nuts during this encounter. If you choose to do this encounter and have a nut allergy please call our reservations department and let them know.
When working with animals, they call the shots. Each encounter is unique and may contain different elements.
Day/Times
This Encounter is Closed for the Season. Please check back in the spring.
Price
$40.00
(Aquarium Members: $36)*
*Must be 10 years or older and reserved 24 hours in advance. All participants must complete waiver prior to adventure. Aquarium admission is not included and is required for the adventure!
The presence of owls in a forest is a good sign that the forest has matured and is able to provide a home for enough small animals to support large birds of prey. Barred owls inhabit forests of both deciduous and coniferous trees, spending their days roosting quietly in treetops and becoming active at dusk to hunt food. Barred Owls are nonmigratory and tend to stick around in the same patch of forest year-round.
In order to find a mate, Barred Owls will engage in courtships songs, which are different from their normal calls. Potential mates will often call in harmony or as a duet. Once a male woos his love interest and she accept him, the pair will mate for life. Breeding occurs between March and August, and females will lay a clutch of 2-4 eggs.
Barred Owls will prey on most small animals, like squirrels, mice, birds, rats, chipmunks, large insects, and reptiles, but how do they hunt in total darkness? The key to their success is their hearing. Apart from having excellent hearing, many owls, including Barred Owls have asymmetrical ear placement, meaning one ear is slightly offset from the other ear on their head. When the sound of a squeaking mouse reaches their head, the time it takes that sound to reach one ear versus the other will give the owl a precise location of the sound in a 3-dimensional space, and thus, the prey. This is known as sound localization. In fact, their hearing is so good and their sound localization is so refined that they are able to target a rodent digging under the snow with pinpoint accuracy.
White-Nosed Coati live in a variety of habitats from tropical lowlands to drier mountains forests in North, Central and South America. Females travel in groups, called bands, which can number anywhere from 4 to 40 individuals, while males 2 years and up travel alone.
Coati are omnivores with a diverse diet, consisting of insects, spiders, lizards and other small animals, as well as fruits, nuts, plants and carrion. They use their long snout to sniff out critters underground, and then use their sharp claws to dig them out.and up travel alone.
Coati mating season begins early in the year. During this time, solitary males will start to join female bands. These males will fend off rivals and mate with several females. As mating season ends, males are forced out of the band and mated females will leave to have their litters about 77 days later. Moms and pups return to the band about 5-6 weeks after birth.
Unlike the other three species of coati, White-Nosed Coati populations are apparently stable, though lack of field data may drastically underestimate their numbers. Deforestation, habitat loss, and introduced predators, such as cats and boa constrictors, all pose threats to their continual health. The Eastern and Western Mountain Coati species are either endangered or threatened.
White-Nosed coatis live in a variety of habitats from tropical lowlands to drier mountain forests in North, Central and South America. Females travel in groups called bands, which can number anywhere from 4 to 40 individuals while males 2 years and up travel alone.
Coatis are omnivores with a diverse diet, consisting of insects, spiders, lizards and other small animals, as well as fruits, nuts, plants and carrion. They use their long snout to sniff out critters underground, and then use their sharp claws to dig them out.
Coati mating season begins early in the year. During this time, solitary males will start to join female bands. These males will fend off rivals and mate with serval females. As mating season ends, males are forced out of the band and mated females will leave about 77 days later. Moms and pups return to the band about 5-6 weeks after birth.
Unlike the other species of coati, White-Nosed Coati populations are apparently stable, through lack of field data may drastically underestimate their numbers. Deforestation, habitat loss and introduced predators, such as cats and boa constrictors, all pose threats to their continual health. The Eastern and Western Mountain Coati species are either endangered or threatened.
Get up close and personal with our coati brothers with our Coati Connection adventure!
Click HERE for more information!
Native to the jungles and grassy marshes of Southeast Asia, Burmese pythons are among the largest snakes on Earth. They are capable of reaching 23 feet or more in length and weighing up to 200 pounds with a girth as big as a telephone pole! When young, they will spend much of their time in the trees. However, as they mature and get bigger, they are mainly ground-dwelling. They are also excellent swimmers and can stay submerged for up to 30 minutes before surfacing for air.
Burmese pythons are carnivores, surviving primarily on small mammals and birds. They have poor eyesight, and stalk prey using chemical receptors in their tongues and heat-sensors along their jaws. Burmese Python kill by constricting, grasping a victim with their sharp teeth, coiling their bodies around the animal, and squeezing until it suffocates. They have stretchy ligaments in their jaws that allow them to swallow all their food whole.
Burmese pythons are popular pets in United States because of their attractive color pattern, reputed docility, and the allure of owning a giant snake. However, they grow large quickly and can reach 8 feet within their first year! Unable to handle their giant snakes and unable to find new homes for them, some owner illegally releases them into the wild. Released and escaped Burmese pythons are now breeding in the wild, and their growing numbers may result in dire consequence for native.
They are considered an invasive species, which means that they are not constrained by natural factors (such as predators) to keep their numbers in check. The release of Burmese pythons in South Florida is especially troublesome because the subtropical climate, the vast undisturbed habits of the Everglades and the plentiful prey enable the species to thrive at the expense of native and sometimes endangered species. Pythons’ rapid and widespread invasion is facilitated by their diverse habitat use, broad dietary preferences, long lifespan (15-25 years), high reproductive output, and ability to move long distances.
Red-tailed boa constrictors originate from tropical South and Central America, from Brazil and Columbia all the way north through Mexico. Female boas are larger than males and adults can grow up to 13 feet in length and can weight up to 13 feet in length and can weigh up to 50 pounds! They are mostly brown and gray with red coloring towards their tails, thus the name red-tailed boas. They live in woodlands, semi-arid forests and tropical rain forests. Although they love warm, humid weather, they are nocturnal snakes that spend the hot days lazing about under logs or cooling off in rivers. During cooler nights, they hunt for prey, including small mammals, rodents and lizards. Their jaws are lined with small, hooked teeth for grabbing and holding prey while they wrap their muscular bodies around their victim, squeezing until it suffocates.
Red-Tailed Boas are solitary reptiles, and although excellent swimmers, they prefer to spend their time in hollow logs and abandoned mammal burrows or, being partially arboreal snakes, hanging on low branches. They generally only spend time together during mating, which can take place at any point throughout the year. Females give birth to live babies and can have up to 60 two-foot long babies at a time!
Our trained specialists will bring you and several of our favorite bugs to our education classroom for the opportunity to hold and learn more about bugs like the Large Devil’s Walking Sticks, Orchid Mantis, Leaf Insects, Giant Beetles and more! You won’t see this amazing collection of bugs from all over the world, anywhere else! And don’t be afraid! Our bugs are friendly and none can hurt you.
Times:
Please visit our Information Center for more details.
• 30-minute encounter
• Minimum class size – 4 guests/max. 20 guests
Pricing:
$10*/pp (Members $9)
Ages 4 & Up
Reservations required.
• Talk with one of our animal caregivers and learn about these playful animals, why they are so important to us and how their species are doing in their natural environment.
• Help with set-up for the Sea Lion Show and learn how and why the team trains our animals.
• You’ll discuss positive reinforcement techniques as well as learn about the fish we feed our sea lions and how you can make sustainable seafood options for yourself.
• You’ll have a front row seat at a sea lion show!
• Participate in a training session after the sea lion show. You’ll practice behaviors with the show’s star sea lion, and even throw him or her a fish!
• Get a kiss from a Sea Lion!
• The experience will be captured by our photographer. Purchase the series of photos.
When working with animals, they call the shots. Each encounter is unique and may contain different elements.
Day/Times –
Sundays @ 10am
Session = 1.5hr (approx.)
Price
$150*
(Aquarium Members: $135)*
*Must be 10 years or older and reserved 24 hours in advance. All participants must complete waiver prior to adventure. Aquarium admission is not included and is required for the adventure!
You know you love them, now have a souvenir photo taken with one of our African Penguins! Penguin Selfies is a great opportunity for those who are too young for our Penguin Encounter program, or if you just want a quick visit and photo with one of our favorite feathered friends. Makes a great holiday or milestone photo!
· Maximum of two guests per photo
· Children under 5 MUST be accompanied by an adult
· This is a “Hands Off” experience, you will not be permitted to touch the penguin
· No personal photos permitted
Available daily at 3pm
Pricing
$20 Emailed photo (one or two people per photo)
Get a voucher for a $10 photo without a mask next year.
Covid Update: You must wear a mask the entire duration of the sea lion show. Seats are marked with an “O” indicating you can sit in that seat and an “X” indicating you should NOT sit in that seat, so all guests can maintain appropriate social distancing. Please remember to stay 6 feet apart from other guests.
Long Island Aquarium’s Sea Lion Coliseum is the place to go to appreciate the grace, playfulness, and intelligence of the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) in our Sea Lion Show.
Sea lions, which get their name from their loud roars, barks, and honks, put on a fascinating show whenever they are in the water! Just look through the underwater viewing windows of our Sea Lion Coliseum inside the aquarium to marvel at these graceful swimmers!
There’s an even better performance waiting for you outside! Long Island Aquarium’s expert mammal trainers put on a daily Sea Lion Show. It’s your opportunity to watch the Aquarium’s talented sea lions – Java, Bunker, Nila and Lucy – demonstrate a variety of impressive behaviors!
Show Times:
12:30pm
2:30pm
Torn apart by hurricane winds and typhoon surf, the docks at Turtle Bay are in disrepair. Yet, one person’s trash is another animal’s salvation! The docks are now overrun by turtles of shapes and sizes!
East African black mud turtles, red-eared sliders, and the alien-looking Australian snake-necked turtle are just a few species that you can see sunning themselves on the shattered docks. These ancient reptiles now call these waters home!
Long Island Aquarium’s Turtle residents are as hungry as they are friendly. For a small fee, you can purchase some turtle food to feed all of our turtles.
Get up close and very personal with the Aquarium’s largest exhibit and its biggest predators with the new Shark Keeper Program! Each participant will prepare to feed the sharks and other fishes in the 120,000-gallon Lost City of Atlantis Exhibit. Then, they’ll get the once-in-a-lifetime chance to pole feed our sand tiger sharks! Participants also experience a tour of other behind-the-scenes animal care work areas and take home a real-life shark tooth.
Keeper Schedule:
Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Session: 3:40pm
Length: 60 minutes
Please note: This program is on hiatus from September through December – it is shark mating season and the sharks eating habits diminish during this time.
Requirements:
All participants must be 16+. Each participant must complete a waiver.
Price:
$50.00, plus Admission (Members: $45.00). Space is currently limited to three participants per scheduled session.
Phone: 631.208.9200, ext. 426
Guests with Special Needs:
Long Island Aquarium makes every effort to accommodate guests with special needs. Please be aware that to participate in this program, guests must be able to navigate the animal habitat spaces with minimal assistance, and must be able to understand and take direction in English from staff members. To ensure the best experience, please contact the Call Center at 631.208.9200, ext. 426 to discuss your individual needs and to reserve your encounter.
To change your reservation, please contact the Reservations Team at 631.208.9200, ext. 426.
Want to know what a stingray or shark feels like? Ray Bay exhibit at Long Island Aquarium is the place to find out! You can touch southern stingrays (Dasyatis americana), cownose rays (Rhinoptera bonasus) and Atlantic stingrays (Dasyatis sabina)! For a small fee, you can even feed these large, beautiful animals. But hurry in to feed the rays soon as their food portioned out and there is a limit to how much they can eat each day!
Ray Bay is also home to white-spotted bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium plagiosum), slender bottom-dwellers that live in the Pacific Ocean from Japan to Indonesia, and Thailand to India. Make sure to check out the sting rays as soon as you come in.
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If you’d like to see us from a completely different perspective, consider spending the night with us.
Our Sleep with the Fishes Adventure lets groups of 20 or more hold a sleepover at the Aquarium. Each sleepover includes:
Seashore Sleepover: (7pm – 7am)
($5 additional charge per person)
Seal Sleepover: (7pm – 7am)
Reptile Sleepover: (7pm – 7am)
Snug as a Bug Sleepover: (6pm – 7 am)
(Sleepover starts 1 hour early to enter our butterfly exhibit from 6pm-7pm.)
20-29 Participants: $69 per person
30-49 Participants: $60 per person
50+ Participants: $55 per person
Themed sleepovers are an additional $5.00 per person.
Additional $16 per person
Minimum of 20 people for Atlantis Explorer trip next morning.
All prices plus applicable tax.
For additional details, pricing, or reservations, call 631.208.9200, ext. 127.