Mediterraneo Booklet - Mediterraneo Marine Park Malta

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Management
The Mediterraneo
The Dolphins
01
The Reptiles
05
The Birds
06
The Sea Lions
07
Fun Facts
08
The Park
09
Option 1 - The Edutainment Package
11
Option 2 - The Interactive Package
14
The Programme Plan
17
The Booking Form
18
The Price List
19
Disclaimer
20
01
Dolphins are marine mammals and not fish and are
therefore warm blooded. Bottlenose dolphins are found in
tropical oceans and other warm waters around the globe. They
are well known as being intelligent mammals. Dolphins breathe
through a blowhole on top of their head, in fact the cetacean
respiratory system is unique in that there is a rapid exchange of
large volumes of air in a very short amount of time.
Cetaceans exchange about 80% of the volume of air in their
lungs with a single breath, as compared with 20% or less in
humans. Dolphins have to be conscious to breath. This means
that they cannot go into a full deep sleep, because then they
would suffocate. Dolphins have "solved" this by letting one half of
their brain sleep at a time.
02
Individuals communicate using a variety of clicks, whistles and other vocalizations. They
track they prey through echolocation and can make up to 1,000 clicking noises per second.
These sounds travel underwater until they encounter objects and then bounce back to their
dolphin senders, revealing the location, size and shape of their target.
The shape of the dorsal fin is unique for every dolphin, exactly like our fingerprint.
Dolphins give birth to their calves. Milk is secreted through the mammary glands and is
squirted directly into the calf's mouth and their tongues have a frilled margin to make a seal.
They do not have hair, however they have a few hairs around the tip of the rostrum which
they lose shortly before or after birth, with the exception of the Boto river dolphin.
03
Most dolphins have acute eyesight, both in and out of the water,
they have a sense of touch and taste, however they are believed to
have no sense of smell.
The dolphins resident in the Park are Tursiops truncatus, or
commonly known as bottlenose dolphins.
We currently have five adult dolphins and three calves which were
born in our park.
They are trained by specialized carers using the positive
reinforcement technique, thus allowing the performance of certain
behaviours and the training stimulates them both physically and
mentally.
They are fed a variety of fish, such as sprat, herring and capelin.
04
Reptiles are a group of vertebrates belonging to the Class Reptilia. Living
reptiles include lizards, snakes, crocodiles and gharials, turtles and tortoises.
Reptiles are cold blooded animals and rely on external energy sources to
warm their bodies, usually the sun, or sun-heated surfaces in nocturnal species.
That is why reptiles do not maintain the same body temperature during the 24
hours of the day. Unlike birds and mammals their food requirements are minimal
as they are able to adjust their metabolism to environmental conditions and they
are designed to exploit their environment.
A feature is what perhaps makes reptiles relatively easy to recognize is
a seamless body covering of scales that prevents moisture loss. Many
reptile species lay eggs in a nest, however a few species such as
lizards and snakes give birth to their young.
05
Birds lay a shelled egg, have feathers and are warm blooded. The structure
of the feathers has allowed this group of animals to evolve flight. Birds are
found across the globe and have adapted to a wide range of habitats.
Our avian collection consists primarily of Blue and Gold Macaws, Orange
winged amazons and Green winged Macaws.
Macaws are small to large, often colourful and reach between 76 – 86 cm
in length and can weigh between 900 to 1300g. Beaks are black, and very
strong for crushing nuts. The naked face is white, turning pink in excited
birds, and lined with small black feathers.
The Blue-and-yellow Macaw generally mates for life and a female lays
typically two to three eggs.
Even the most well-tended Blue-and-yellow Macaw will "scream" and
make other loud noises. Loud vocalizations, especially "flock calls", and
destructive chewing are natural parts of their behavior.
Our macaws are fed a varied diet which includes a mix of seeds, nuts, and
dried fruits, with fresh vegetables (greens and roots) and fruits.
06
THE
SEA LIONS
Patagonian sea lions belong to the pinniped family and are widely distributed in
the wild and eat a variety of fish, as well as squid and octopus. Though clumsy
on land, sea lions are exceedingly graceful in the water. They propel their bodies
through the water by moving their flexible bodies and their flippers.
They are dimorphic that is males are larger than females and the males have
large heads and thick manes that give them the lion-like appearance hence their
name.
In the park there are currently present three sea lions with the names of Dana,
Junior and Joey. Junior is the first sea lion to be born in Malta.
Our sea lions are trained by specialised carers using the positive reinforcement
technique. This training technique allows the sea lions to move into different areas
of the enclosure and perform certain behaviours that either show their natural
adaptations or are used to enable the carers and vets to check the animals safely
and without using any form of restraint. This training also stimulates them both
physically and mentally.
The sea lions are fed a mixture of different types of
fish which include sprat, herring and capelin.
07
DID YOU KNOW?
All birds have feathers
even penguins
DID YOU KNOW?
Sea lions live for
around 30 years
DID YOU KNOW?
Junior was the first
sea lion to be born
in Malta
DID YOU KNOW?
Dolphins have to
be conscious to breath
08
09
UIDE
YOURO G
THE
T
NEO
A
R
R
E
T
I
MED
ARK
BIO P
Entrance / Exit
Turtles
Parrot Presentation
Aviary
Combined Ticket Pass
to Splash & Fun
Lagoon
Ticket booth
Restrooms
Restaurant
Souvenir Shop
Reptile House
Dolphin Presentation
Kids Area*
Sea Lion Presentation
*The Kids Area is currently under construction and
will soon be open to the public. We appolgise for any
inconvenience caused.
10
This programme is based on the edutainment metho
d and is designed to assist your students to appreciate
the environment
around us. The younger students will be able to learn
and understand better while “learning through fun”. This
method of
learning is becoming more popular in places such as museu
ms and parks where the aim is to bring the younger gener
ation
closer to specific themes in a non-traditional way.
DOLPHIN PRESENTATION:
Students learn to identify stages of development from
birth
to adulthood in dolphins.
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
We begin the lesson by considering the life cycle of a
human from baby to toddler, through childhood to
adulthood. Students are encouraged to consider how
a human changes physically, mentally and
emotionally throughout this development, including their
growth, parental care, learning, independence
and responsibilities. The students then discuss the lifecyc
les of a dolphin, comparing and contrasting with
a human lifecycle. Displays are used throughout the discus
sion to engage students.
11
LEARNING OUTCOME
• To understand how the carers look after our dolphins;
• To know what dolphins need to survive in the wild;
and in the wild;
• To understand our responsibility for animal care in the Park
and humans and
s
dolphin
n
betwee
• Appreciation of differences and similarities
ing.
well-be
their
for
• To observe dolphins, showing consideration
SEA LION PRESENTATION:
l.
Students will learn to identify the features of sea lions in genera
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
and sound of our sea lions.
Students will participate in an interactive story, through action
They will learn about their features, behaviour and breeding.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
tions, including
• To recognise a typical sealion form, body features and adapta
flippers;
• To learn about the sealions environment and
• To know the life cycle of a sealion.
12
BIRDS PRESENTATION:
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
ters of some individuals will be described. The
A few members of our family of birds will be introduced and charac
present in our park, their habitat, their lifestyle, their
carers will speak about the characteristics of our birds that are
is a perfect opportunity to learn about these
food and their protection due to hunting and deforestation. This
colourful birds while watching them from a short distance.
LEARNING OUTCOME
• To appreciate the diversity of living things;
g and
• To sort vertebrates into family groups according to body coverin
ing.
well-be
their
for
eration
consid
• To observe live animals, showing
OTHER POINTS:
n
• The reptile house may be visited at one’s own leisure betwee
presentations
COMPETITION:
At the end of the visit the children will be encouraged to
participate in a game to identify how the carers look after three
will
different animals in the park and the best reply from each class
ement
manag
park
the
to
be chosen by the teacher and forwarded
with the winners’ details. The chosen ones will win a family pack
consisting of tickets for two adults and two children.
13
You can experience a busy programme of educational events and activities - ranging from carers talks
through to hands-on animal encounters.
DOLPHIN INTERACTIVE PRESENTATION:
Through this programme teachers and students will have the opportunity to enhance their knowledge
about one of the most amazing animals on our planet.
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
We begin the presentation by considering the life cycle of a human from baby to toddler, through
childhood to adulthood. Students are encouraged to consider how a human changes physically, mentally
and emotionally throughout this development, including their growth, parental care, learning,
independence and responsibilities. The students then discuss the lifecycles of a dolphin, comparing and
contrasting with a human lifecycle.
During the afternoon session the students will have the unique opportunity to interact with the dolphins
through touch, feeding and/or positive reinforcement.
14
LEARNING OUTCOME
• To understand how the carers look after our dolphins;
• To know what dolphins need to survive in the wild ;
• To understand our responsibility for animal care in the Park and in the wild;
• Appreciation of differences and similarities between dolphins and humans and
• To observe and interact with the dolphins, showing consideration for their well-being
SEA LION INTERACTIVE PRESENTATION:
Students will learn to identify the features of sealions.
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Children participate in an interactive story, through action and sound of our sealions. They will learn
about their features, behaviour and breeding.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
• To recognise typical sealion form, body features and adaptations, including flippers;
• To know that there are a variety of sealion species and
• To know the life cycle of a sealion.
During this presentation the students will have the opportunity to come close to the animals by
feeding them
15
BIRDS PRESENTATION:
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
A few members of our family of bird
s will be introduced and characters
of some individuals will be describ
will speak about the characteristics
ed. The carers
of every species that is present in
our park, their habitat, their lifestyle
their protection due to hunting and
, their food and
deforestation. This is a perfect opp
ortunity to learn about these colo
watching them from a short distanc
urful birds while
e. Students will be able to interact
with the animals through touch and
our birds.
or feeding of
LEARNING OUTCOME
• To appreciate the diversity of livin
g things;
• To sort vertebrates into five fam
ily groups according to body coverin
g and
• To observe and interact with our
birds.
OTHER POINTS:
• A free group photo will be pro
vided to the class.
• The reptile house may be visited
at one’s own leisure between
presentations
COMPETITION:
An essay competition will be organiz
ed and will be based on the topics
discussed during the
interaction Programme. The stud
ent with the best essay, chosen by
the teacher, will win a
swim with the dolphins. This com
petition is open to students over
8 years of age. Whereas
children under 8 years of age will
be awarded an alternative prize with
the same value.
16
TIME
PUBLIC
PRESENTATIONS
09:30 - 10:00
OPTION 1
EDUTAINMENT
PRESENTATIONS
OPTION 2
INTERACTIVE
PRESENTATIONS
DOLPHINS
10:15 - 10:45
BIRDS
SEA LIONS
11:15 - 11:45
SEA LIONS
BIRDS
12:45 - 13:15
DOLPHINS
13:15 - 14:15
BREAK*
14:15 - 14:45
SEA LIONS
15:00 - 15:30
DOLPHINS
15:45 - 16:15
BIRDS
CAPACITY
400
150
25 PER SESSION**
* Students may bring a packed lunch and may use the restaurant area
** Each group will consist of not more than 25 students, however if the group is larger, the students will be split in
two or more groups.
Option 1
Option 2
Attending
Edutainment Presentation
Interactive Presentation
Public Presentations
School:
Tel No.:
Contact Name:
Email:
Contact Tel./Mob.:
Date of Visit:
No. of Children:
School Stage:
No. of Assistants:
16
OPTION 1: EDUTAINMENT PRESENTATION
€4.50 per student if group is less than 20.
Total: €
€4.00 per student if group is more than 20.
Total: €
2 Adults with every 20 students enter FREE.
Quantity:
€4.50 per parent with children of age 6 or under, if group is less than 20.
Total: €
€4.00 per parent if group is more than 20.
Total: €
€9.90 per parent accompanying children of age 7 or over.
Time of arrival: 9:15. Time of departure: 12:00. Check time table on page 17.
OPTION 2: INTERACTIVE PRESENTATION
€30 per student.
HOW TO BOOK:
Call: +356 2137 2218, +356 2137 6519
19
Total: €
Fax: +356 2137 2227
Email: info@mediterraneopark.com
• Be at the Park half an hour prior to the start of the programme (delays are not refundable).
• Fully respect all instructions given by the Mediterraneo staff on the park precincts.
• Treat all animals with respect, avoiding any attitude or behaviour which may cause stress or injury to them.
• Keep a quiet and a calm attitude.
• Supervision of teachers is required throughout the visit. In the event of any child being reported missing at the
park, the responsible teacher is to immediately notify the park officials of such matter.
• Since the Park is an open area, the Management recommends that children bring caps and sun block.
• The Management reserves the right, at its sole discretion to exclude any participant that fails to follow the above
rules or behave in a manner detrimental to the animals or other guests. In this situation, no refund will be given.
• The management reserves the right, in its absolute discretion, to change or cancel any programmes or
presentations without prior notice. In such event, no refunds can be claimed from the park.
• The park reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to postpone the programme or transfer it to
another date. If the group is unavailable at the new time, a full refund will be given.
• The park shall not be liable in any way whatsoever for, and the school hereby expressly waives any right to, any loss,
injury, damage, cost or expense of whatsoever nature directly or indirectly caused by, or resulting from any incident
which may occur at the park.
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