NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — If you're looking for something to do with the family over holiday break, you may want to check out the Aquarium of Niagara's "YuleTIDE Days."
This is the fifth year for the post-holiday promotion which features themed animal feedings and presentations, arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, and special guests each day. The annual celebration runs Tuesday, Dec. 26 thru Sunday, Dec. 31.
There will also be a special "Noon Year's Eve" sea lion high ball demonstration just before noon on Sunday.
"YuleTIDE Days" activities are included with the price of regular admission. It's $19.95 for adults and $14.95 for children ages three to 12.
While you're there you can check out the Aquarium of Niagara's newest resident, Squirt. He's a Kemp's Ridley sea turtle that was rescued from Florida in 2015. He was hit by a boat propeller, and his eye, jaw, and shell were damaged. Because of that, Squirt couldn't be released back into the wild.
Squirt spent a lot of time healing at a facility in Florida, but he outgrew that space, so he came to Niagara Falls.
"When he first got here, he was a little nervous. He would hang out in the back area which is adjacent to our exhibit. Once we opened the gate for him to come out to explore, he had a little panic attack and went right back into the back. Eventually he got the courage to come back outside. He would swim around," said Rafael Calderon, curator of fish and invertebrates.
The aquarium doesn't know exactly how old Squirt is but guess he's between 15 and 25 years old. Sea turtles can live between 50 and 100 years old, depending on the species.
"We want Squirt to be one of our greatest ambassadors here," said Calderon. "He's also an ambassador for every sea turtle that's out there in the world."