Published: June 12, 2009 10:26 am      

DELUCA: Kissed the sea lion, loved the octopus

NIAGARA FALLS —

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I went there to kiss a sea lion but the octopus stole my heart. If you had been there, you’d understand. The octopus was flirty and funny and clever. The sea lion, however, was a little standoffish, but I’m pretty sure it was his military training. He did eventually place his whiskers up against my cheek, but I think he was doing it to be polite.

It was the octopus, really, that I’d been wanting to meet since I first heard about her in December. She was the centerpiece of a new exhibit at the Aquarium of Niagara and my colleague, Paul Lane, had written a great piece about her, mentioning that she was “really quite affectionate,” and liked to play games.

I just couldn’t wrap my brain around that — a giant octopus that was affectionate. How do you know when an octopus is being affectionate?

I needed to see for myself. So I’d been kind of bugging Gay Molnar, the director of development at the aquarium, about getting me access to the octopus, but we simply hadn’t been able to coordinate times.

Then, when I got a notice that the aquarium was promoting a special deal for Valentine’s Day, offering folks the chance to buy their Valentine some personal time with a sea lion, I knew I had found the perfect way to help the aquarium and satisfy my longing to meet the octopus.

Within a day I was at the aquarium with my video

camera, prepared for a water world double feature that I knew would delight both me and the readers who visit our Web site at niagara-gazette.com.

First, Gay said to me, we should go meet Twister. We walked over to the exhibit and peered through the water into the rocky nooks and crannies where the octopus was hidden. Then I saw her open her eyes and peer at us. “She’s very special,” Gay told me. “Every morning I come over to talk to her and she comes out to greet me. I run my hand across the glass like this, and she follows me with her arm.”

Which of her arms I wasn’t actually certain as a sea octopus has eight arms. But, I was struck by Gay’s tone of voice. This creature had found a special place in the heart of a woman surrounded by water creatures. “She’s one of the most wonderful

looking specimen’s I’ve ever seen,” Gay said softly as we stared through the water.

I have to admit, she was. Her name is Twister and as soon as she turned her eyes on us, I got a sense of her aliveness. There were some other people standing near the exhibit with us and while they enjoyed Gay’s stories, Twister just watched us, her color a bluish gray to help her hide among the rocky back wall.

She was so homely that she was beautiful, kind of in a way that E.T., the extra-terrestial in the movie was beautiful, childlike and yet trusting and otherworldly wise.

Once we got behind the scenes where the aquarium staff has access to the exhibits, I met Twister’s caretaker, Dan Arcara, the supervisor of exhibits.

We talked a bit about how Twister was acquired from a collector in the Pacific Northwest, and how the aquarium invested some $20,000 to obtain her and create the exhibit.

Dan explained that this type of octopus requires stimulation and attention as part of their care. If they get bored they can get into trouble. One octopus in Germany was videotaped leaving her tank and stealing fish from other exhibits when the place was closed. She also would squirt water at the light above her holding tank to cause it to short and blow out. I think it was the same octopus who would juggle mussels, simply to amuse itself.

But, I was more interested in seeing what our octopus could do. So Dan, like a proud parent, bent over the tank to call her. He dipped a plastic square into the water and Twister came flying over and wrapped her arms around the square. That was cool. I have it on videotape. Faster than I’d ever expect a creature like that to move. Makes you wonder what might happen to the largest of the breed, which can grow up to over 25 feet across and up to 150 pounds.

Twister is still just a little thing. She was about 6 pounds when she arrived but quickly put on another 6, indicating that she is thriving in her new home. They only expect her to get to about 30 pounds, but she’s already really strong and can push 40 pound rocks around. She also already tore up the filter plate on her exhibit.

Her strength was apparent when she and Dan began to play. It was amazing. Apparently she likes to be petted and handled. She turned a vibrant red color. I asked if I could touch her and when I reached into the water to feel her moist, slimy arm, she placed several of her suction-cups onto my finger, feeling what I felt like in the same way I was feeling her.

Then she and Dan engaged in a tug of war with the handle of a plastic brush. Watching all eight red suction-covered arms engage while her eyes calmly surveyed her company.

“She’s a very nice octopi,” Dan said, which as far as I was concerned was a professionally restrained understatement if I ever heard one. It was easy to see that Twister had winnowed her way into Dan’s heart as well as Gays. And surely, she had completely charmed me. I can’t even pretend to be objective. Any child who comes within 20 feet of me for the next few years is going to get my Twister story first thing.

Then, too soon, Twister was done with us. She began turning blue, literally, and backing away towards her rocky hiding spot. Our audience had ended. It was time to go play with Jester.

Jester, is a whole other story. He is the newest addition to the sea lion exhibit at the aquarium. Apparently — and I am whispering behind my hand here — he had been recruited by the Navy to work in underwater reconnaissance with the Navy Seals, but it is rumored that he found the ocean a bit, well, scary.

Now, he’s working for raw fish at the aquarium and part of the daily shows there. His lovely trainer, Jen Humphrey, supervisor of the marine mammals, let me videotape a bit of the behaviors he will share for the Valentine’s Day encounters, including a whiskered kiss and a furry hug.

I think it’s makes sound sense for the aquarium to offer such experiences. It’s expensive, $60 per person and $100 a couple, but up close encounters help to enhance people’s relationships to animals and these experiences help maintain one of Niagara Fall’s most enduring and esteemed treasures.

For more information on the sea lion encounters you can visit their Web site, aquariumofniagara.org. Or you can catch the videotape on the gazette Web site.

Jester’s trainers let me experience a bit of what the encounters would be like and they asked Jester to give me a little smooch.

Jester was polite. After a little encouragement he did what he was asked. Frankly, I am certain he didn’t enjoy it as much as I did. But, he was a good sport and kissing humans may be a much easier life for Jester than chasing down enemy submarines. And it’s for a good cause.

It would be great, I think, if the aquarium offered personal encounters with Twister. But right now, the general public can only see the giant octopus through the glass of her exhibit. And on the Gazette Web site, of course.

Regardless, my visit reminded me of how much I enjoy the aquarium. I hope it reminds you too. There are all kinds of special events coming up there, including the “SEAsonings,” on March 6, which they call the original “Taste of Niagara.” And pretty soon they’re going to introduce a giant sea horse exhibit.

I’m telling you that once you see that videotape of Twister and Jester, you won’t be able to stay away.

Contact Michele DeLuca at282-2311, ext. 2263.