Humpback Whales are in Long Island Sound and — Until Sunday — at the Aquarium, Too

See what it’s like to stand beside — and inside — a life-sized humpback whale in the “Giant Walk-In Whale,” part of the special fun Saturday and Sunday, when the 43-foot inflatable humpback whale returns to the aquarium’s central Newman’s Own Hall.

Photo from Maritime Aquarium

Make like Jonah and enter this life-size inflatable humpback whale — only until Sunday at the Maritime Aquarium.

“Guests can stand next to the whale to get a real sense of the scale of a whale,” said Dave Sigworth, the aquarium’s publicist.

“Learning about whales, how big they are, and about whale behavior is even more important for Connecticut and New York residents now, because humpback whales have visited Long Island Sound each of the last two summers.”

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— an announcement from the Maritime Aquarium

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Guests can even play Jonah and go inside the whale to see the scale of its internal organs, including its lungs, heart and stomachs. (Yes, stomachs, plural. Most baleen whales have three stomach compartments.)

Also during “Celebrate Whales,” bonus educational stations will let Maritime Aquarium guests touch real baleen, experience first-hand how blubber keeps whales warm, and learn why whale populations still haven’t fully recovered from historic whaling practices.

Photo from Maritime Aquarium

In the belly of the inflatable beast.

There’s one more way to see life-sized humpback whales at The Maritime Aquarium Jan. 7-16: in the limited return engagement of the IMAX® movie “Humpback Whales,” which offers amazing scenes of these beloved creatures on the Aquarium’s six-story screen.

The film lets audiences join scientists studying how the whales communicate, sing, play, feed and care for their young. Show times (through Jan. 16 only) are 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Learn more about “Celebrate Whales” events — and all the exhibits, IMAX movies and programs at The Maritime Aquarium — by going to the aquarium website.