Meet the Dolphins

Name Meaning: Named for the Chesapeake Bay

Sex: Female

Weight: 380 pounds

Birthday: March 7, 1992, at the National Aquarium

Family Tree: Daughter of Shiloh (dam) and Akai (sire)

Births: Three calves born at the National Aquarium

How to Recognize Me: Shorter overall, plump body, short rostrum, underbite

Appetite: 26 pounds of fish eaten per day

Fun Fact: Chessie is the most energetic dolphin in the pool. She loves doing high-energy behaviors, like aerials, and has the highest high jump of all our dolphins!

Name Meaning: Hawaiian for "beautiful"

Sex: Female

Weight: 500 pounds

Birthday: 1972

Arrival at the National Aquarium: 1990

Births: Six calves (four born at the National Aquarium)

How to Recognize Me: Distinctive clip in right pectoral flipper, multiple wrinkly chins, very large girth, few rakes, squinty eyes, and visible ear holes

Appetite: 25 pounds of fish eaten per day

Fun Fact: As the oldest, Nani is the most dominant in the group. She’s very protective of her children. With the trainers, she is like a big huggable teddy bear in the water!

Sex: Female

Weight: 400 pounds

Birthday: 1979

Arrival at the National Aquarium: 1990

Births: Four calves (three born at the National Aquarium)

How to Recognize Me: Large, broad flukes, light gray coloration with a pink belly, white tip to rostrum, white coloration on right pectoral fin, notch out of fluke

Appetite: 21 pounds of fish eaten per day

Fun Fact: Shiloh is very intelligent, and is like the "wise old owl" of the group. She is always aware of everything going on around her. She’s an excellent mother and grandmother, and enjoys playing with the underwater Frisbee!

Sex: Male

Weight: 430 pounds

Birthday: 1983

Births: Two calves born at the National Aquarium

How to Recognize Me: Only adult male, darker in color, black mark on left-side peduncle, white line behind pectoral fins, long rostrum lined with pink "lips", head is lighter gray than body

Appetite: 29 pounds of fish eaten per day

Fun Fact: Chinook is the only adult male in the group, and is a real taskmaster. He once worked with the U.S. Navy, so he has military precision! He’s very focused and likes to perform tasks.

Sex: Female

Weight: 375 pounds

Birthday: May 22, 1999

Family Tree: Daughter of Tanya (dam) and Lester (sire)

Births: One calf born at the National Aquarium

How to Recognize Me: Ruffled dorsal fin leans slightly to the right, long rostrum with very pronounced underbite, dark circles around eyes

Appetite: 22 pounds of fish eaten per day

Fun Fact: Jade is new to the show group, and is doing great in her training! She’s a little uncoordinated sometimes, but she makes up for it by working well with her trainers and learning new behaviors quickly.

Sex: Female

Weight: 380 pounds

Birthday: May 13, 2001 at the National Aquarium

Family Tree: Daughter of Shiloh (dam) and Nalu (sire)

How to Recognize Me: Lighter in color, light-tipped rostrum, pink belly

Appetite: 21 pounds of fish eaten per day

Fun Fact: Maya is our "princess." She loves shiny objects. She's a real girly-girl!

Name Meaning: Named after Sept. 11, in honor of the American spirit

Sex: Female

Weight: 380 pounds

Birthday: April 13, 2001, at the National Aquarium

Family Tree: Daughter of Nani (dam) and Nalu (sire)

How to Recognize Me: Larger eyes, darker in color, crooked teeth in the lower right side of rostrum

Appetite: 20.5 pounds of fish eaten per day

Fun Fact: Spirit is a little skittish, but very playful and loves learning new behaviors. She is usually the first dolphin to try out a new toy!

Name Meaning: "Handsome" (to go with mom’s name meaning)

Sex: Male

Weight: 350 pounds

Birthday: June 27, 2005, at the National Aquarium

Family Tree: Son of Nani (dam) and Bob (sire)

How to Recognize Me: Skinnier rostrum, consistent gray coloration of entire lower jaw, crooked teeth in lower jaw

Appetite: 9 pounds of fish eaten per day (in addition to nursing)

Fun Fact: Beau is a real mama’s boy. You will rarely see him far from Nani. Because he’s so close to his mom, and she’s the dominant female in the group, Beau gets away with more than he should!

Name Meaning: Nursed by three "foster moms"

Sex: Male

Weight: 120 pounds and growing!

Birthday: September 9, 2007, at the National Aquarium

Family Tree: Son of Jade (dam) and Sebastian (sire)

How to Recognize Me: Light in color, few rakes, slight underbite like his mom’s

Appetite: 17 pounds of fish eaten per day

Fun Fact: Foster had a very unique upbringing. Since Jade was a first-time mother, experienced moms Shiloh and Chesapeake helped her raise Foster. All three females nursed Foster when he was a baby. Now he’s a healthy, growing dolphin who eats up to 17 pounds of fish a day!

Name Meaning: Named for the Chesapeake Bay like her mom; voted by the public in a naming contest

Sex: Female

Weight: 65 pounds and growing!

Birthday: July 27, 2008, at the National Aquarium

Family Tree: Daughter of Chesapeake (dam) and Chinook (sire)

How to Recognize Me: Smallest dolphin in the pod, dark eyes

Appetite: 3 pounds of fish eaten per day (in addition to nursing)

Fun Fact: Our youngest calf Bayley invented her own toys—she likes to blow bubbles and play with them! She’ll blow a long "bubble snake," and then turn around and play with it, and she’ll blow bubbles under the pool ledge and move them around with her rostrum.