For February school vacation, Incredible Predators arrives at Aquarium’s Simons Theatre, opening Feb. 18

Shark and Ray Touch Tank open; penguin and Giant Ocean Tank feedings also scheduled

BOSTON, MASS. (February 9, 2022) – In time for February School Vacation Week, the New England Aquarium’s Simons Theatre will be showing Incredible Predators, opening Friday, Feb. 18. The lavishly photographed film deconstructs the world of major predators as never before, taking an intimate look at the remarkable strategies they use to succeed. Advanced filming techniques capture the planet’s top predators in the wild, putting the audience right beside them as they hunt—on land, under the sea, or in the air.

Far from a film about the kill, Incredible Predators teaches how these supreme species must be at the very peak of performance to have any chance of success and reveals the unique relationship between predators and prey as a fundamental building block of ecology. For example, to understand a cheetah’s dilemma, you must meet her hungry cubs.

The Aquarium welcomes families and children during the school vacation weeks—Feb. 21 through 25 for Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, and Rhode Island public schools, and Feb. 28 through March 4 for New Hampshire public schools. In addition to the new film, visitors can see feedings of penguins and the 1,000 animals swimming in the four-story, 200,000-gallon Giant Ocean Tank. Penguins are fed daily from 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. The Giant Ocean Tank feedings are from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Another crowd pleaser is the 9,000-gallon, floor-to-ceiling Indo-Pacific Coral Reef exhibit, showcasing brilliantly-colored tropical fish, and the Trust Family Foundation Shark and Ray Touch Tank, where visitors can touch cownose rays, Atlantic rays, and epaulette sharks as they swim through a mangrove habitat. California sea lions, Northern fur seals, and Atlantic harbor seals in the New Balance Foundation Marine Mammal Center also never fail to delight.

At Simons Theatre, other films playing include Great White Shark, Ocean Odyssey, and Turtle Odyssey. Screening times vary and can be found online: https://dev.neaq.org/exhibits/simons-theatre/.

In accordance with the City of Boston’s vaccination mandate, all guests ages 12 and up must provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to enter the Aquarium and Simons Theatre. Face coverings are also mandatory for guests over age 2, and the Aquarium is limiting capacity so purchasing tickets in advance is strongly recommended. Here are more details about the mandates: https://dev.neaq.org/visit/reopen/.

The Aquarium will have extended hours Feb. 21-25, opening at 9 a.m. and closing at 6 p.m. Normal operating hours during winter are weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and weekends 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information or tickets, call 617-973-5200 or visit www.neaq.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Pam Bechtold Snyder – psnyder@neaq.org, 617-686-5068