44°
Do you agree with Orange? Who will win the Super Bowl?
- Carolina Panthers all the way
- I'm rooting for the Denver Broncos
- No idea!
- I still miss the Patriots
Orange, a 33-year-old seal, touched her nose to a cutout of a Carolina Panthers helmet during a feeding Thursday morning. The action indicated she believed the Panthers -- not the Denver Broncos -- would win Super Bowl 50, according to aquarium staff.
Seals at the aquarium have offered predictions for four Super Bowls in the past, although none of their guesses have been correct. In previous years, aquarium staff have given the seals the opportunity to communicate their guesses by a choice of football — each marked with a team’s pennant — among several different displays.
Maritime Aquarium publicist Dave Sigworth said the aquarium has considered having other animals predict the Super Bowl due to the seals’ 0-4 record. The staff has considered asking a meerkat, for example. But he said the fact that the seals are never right “just makes it even more fun."
Rasal picked New England in 2012, Orange chose the 49ers in 2013, Orange had the Broncos in 2014, and Polly came off the bench last year, picking the Seahawks.
Orange was found stranded as a pup in 1982 in New England and rehabilitated at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. In 1991, she moved to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Nearly 15 years later, she arrived at The Maritime Aquarium.
Orange’s favorite NFL team is the Dolphins, according to the aquarium. Unfortunately for her, they are not in the Super Bowl this year. (The last time the team played in the Super Bowl was 1985.)
But if a Orange is right this year, perhaps she will have an extra reward waiting after the game.
“Maybe a couple of extra herring for lunch,” Sigworth said. “And certainly bragging rights.”
The seals will have to wait to find out the winners. Since they will have the aquarium to themselves Sunday with no TV, the staff will have to fill them in Monday on the outcome of the game, Sigworth said.
The aquarium’s seals are known for their tricks. A seal jumped for a ball lowered by aquarium staff to celebrate “Noon Year’s Eve” in December.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Danbury and receive free news updates.
