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Capetonians comparing the recent cold weather to Antarctica might be on to something. An Antarctic leopard seal has come ashore at Kommetjie! Leopard seals are native to Antarctica - in fact, they are one of the world's most successful apex predators! Although young leopard seals sometimes range further north, leaving the Antarctic pack ice to the Southern Ocean Islands where there is less competition, it is exceedingly rare for them to come as far northas South Africa - fewer than 20 have ever been spotted in our waters! Little is known about why these vagrant leopard seals come to South Africa - we don't even know if they are different seals, or if some are return visitors. At the request of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Agriculture, two of our team members headed to Kommetjie to tag this seal so that it can be easily identified if it is ever sighted again elsewhere in the world.

Curious about kelp? We’ve gathered all you need to know about this vital component of the ocean’s biodiversity.

There's no doubt that octopuses are the ultimate masters of camouflage. With the ability to rapidly change their colours and shape, the intelligence to use their environment to their advantage, and the skill to mimic other objects, octopuses are ink-credible!

If you've had the chance to meet Ann Lamont, the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation's new Executive Chairperson, you'll know that passion and love for the oceans are at the heart of the organisation's leadership. Ann took the reigns of the Foundation in April 2020, taking on the role from outgoing chair Maryke Musson. The Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation is the NPO / PBO partner of the Two Oceans Aquarium and focuses on education, conservation and research work.

Brainless, heartless, spineless, and 95% water - jellyfish don't seem to have much going for them. But with over half a billion years of success, and making up a third of all ocean biomass, there's clearly something more to these animals than they get credit for. Let's take a look as some of the superpowers that help jellies rule the ocean.

When walking through the Turtle Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release Programme's recovery areas, it's easy to get wrapped up in the conservation stories affecting the precious endangered sea turtles being cared for by their amazing team. But, as important as those stories are, there are also a lot of interesting things going on - so let's look at five of the unexpectedly interesting things we learn from these turtles and their carers:

On 13 July 2021, a 50kg female loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) was delivered into the capable hands of the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation's turtle team. She was found stranded near Gansbaai, entangled in a ghost fishing net. Sea turtles breathe air, so becoming entangled in abandoned fishing gear can easily result in them drowning - this turtle was very lucky that she washed up before that could happen. She was named Nobomvu, a reference to the unusual red tint of her shell that was caused by tiny microorganisms living on her carapace. Initial health checks indicated no immediately obvious injuries, but the stress of partial drowning, dehydration, and possibly drifting in the sun can have internal effects (as we saw with Anette, another rescued entangled sea turtle), so Nobomvu will receive close care over the coming months to be sure she is 100% healthy before being released.

Relax, rejuvenate and realign with yoga classes in the most serene setting of all: the Two Oceans Aquarium. Strike a pose and join us on a unique yoga journey with instructor Magenta, happening on Monday afternoons, for R220 per session via Quicket (members get 25% off - details below).

With the support of DHL, the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation is able to offer an outreach programme to under-resourced primary schools, bringing lessons about sustainability to Grade 6 and 7 learners. Known as "Smart Living" these lessons cover topics like energy, water, biodiversity and waste, and are designed to give learners a better understanding of the connections between their lifestyles and the environment, as well as tie in with their school CAPS curriculum.

We recently added a school of 50 new Atlantic bonito to the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Exhibit at the Two Oceans Aquarium and were asked an interesting question - why don’t the sharks eat the new fish? Good question - let's investigate!

Everyone loves Bob, the green sea turtle that has been in long-term rehabilitation at the Two Oceans Aquarium after he was rescued in 2014. Bob became compromised due to a gut full of ingested plastic pollutions, leaving him vulnerable to an infection that caused brain damage. Although Bob has made a full recovery from his physical injuries, his behaviours and levels of activity suggested a loss of brain function, and the expert opinion at the time was that Bob would not be able to survive in the wild. But now, a new rehabilitation technique might be able to help Bob return to the wild at long last!

Unlike humans, that need help seeing under water, there are a couple of marine animals that have excellent, and sometimes weird, eyes. Today, we have a line-up of marine animals with spectacular, wonderful, fascinating and frightening eyes.