Boston's Beloved Myrtle the Turtle: The 90-Year-Old Queen of the New England Aquarium

Meet Myrtle, the Grand Dame of Boston's Giant Ocean Tank

Tucked inside the heart of downtown Boston, the New England Aquarium is home to one of the most beloved residents in the city's long history. Her name is Myrtle, and she is a green sea turtle who has captured the hearts of millions of visitors for more than five decades. Estimated to be around 90 years old and weighing in at roughly 500 pounds, Myrtle is widely considered the unofficial queen of the aquarium's four-story Giant Ocean Tank.

Her sheer size, gentle personality, and decades-long tenure have made her a true Boston icon, right alongside Fenway Park and the Freedom Trail. Generations of New England families have grown up visiting Myrtle, and many return as adults to introduce her to their own children and grandchildren.

How Myrtle Arrived in Boston

Myrtle came to the New England Aquarium in 1970, the same year the aquarium first opened its doors to the public. Before settling in Boston, she lived at an aquarium on Provincetown's MacMillan Pier on the tip of Cape Cod. When that smaller facility closed, Myrtle was transferred to the brand-new Boston aquarium, where she has lived ever since.

At the time she arrived, she was already a mature adult turtle, which is part of why her exact age is unknown. Aquarium staff estimate she was born sometime in the 1930s, making her older than most of the people who come to see her. Green sea turtles can live to be 80 years or more in the wild, and Myrtle has comfortably surpassed that milestone in human care.

A Personality as Big as Her Shell

Anyone who has watched Myrtle glide through the Giant Ocean Tank knows she has a personality all her own. Aquarium staff often describe her as the boss of the tank, and she is known for her hearty appetite and her habit of nudging divers out of the way during feeding time. She eats roughly 50 to 60 pounds of food each week, including brussels sprouts, cabbage, lettuce, squid, and fish.

Divers who clean the tank and feed the other animals have learned to feed Myrtle first. If they do not, she has been known to swim up and bump them until she gets her share. Her favorite snack, according to aquarium staff, is brussels sprouts, which she will gobble up before touching any other vegetable offered to her.

Living in the Giant Ocean Tank

The Giant Ocean Tank, which holds 200,000 gallons of saltwater, was completely renovated in 2013. During that renovation, Myrtle was temporarily moved while crews installed a new tank designed to better simulate a Caribbean coral reef. She now shares her home with hundreds of other animals, including stingrays, moray eels, barracudas, and tropical fish of every color imaginable.

Despite the crowded company, Myrtle remains the undisputed star. Visitors regularly press up against the glass to watch her swim slow, deliberate laps around the tank, occasionally pausing to inspect a guest on the other side. Children often squeal with delight when she swims close, and even adults find themselves grinning at her unhurried, regal manner.

A Living Link to the Past

Part of what makes Myrtle so special is what she represents. She has lived through World War II, the moon landing, every presidential administration from Franklin D. Roosevelt onward, and the rise of the internet. She has greeted visitors during the Vietnam era, the Reagan years, the turn of the millennium, and into the present day.

For older visitors especially, seeing Myrtle is a reminder of simpler times. Many recall their first visit to the aquarium as schoolchildren in the 1970s or 1980s and are amazed to find the same giant turtle still swimming in the same tank decades later. Few attractions anywhere in America can claim that kind of continuity.

Fun Facts About Myrtle

There are plenty of charming details about Myrtle that keep her fans coming back. Here are some of the most popular:

• She weighs approximately 500 pounds, making her one of the largest green sea turtles in human care anywhere in the United States.
• She has lived at the New England Aquarium since 1970, longer than any other resident animal.
• Her estimated age is around 90 years, though her exact birth year is unknown.
• Brussels sprouts are her favorite food, followed by cabbage and lettuce.
• She is known to bump divers who do not feed her quickly enough.
• She has her own following on social media, where the aquarium regularly posts updates and videos of her swimming.
• Green sea turtles like Myrtle are listed as a threatened species, making her an important ambassador for ocean conservation education.

A Boston Treasure Worth Visiting

For families planning a trip to Boston, a stop at the New England Aquarium on Central Wharf is a must, and Myrtle is the headline attraction. The aquarium is open year-round, and the spiral walkway around the Giant Ocean Tank gives visitors multiple angles to see her from top to bottom.

Whether you are a grandparent bringing the grandkids for their first visit, a longtime Bostonian dropping in to say hello to an old friend, or a tourist hoping to check off a true New England landmark, Myrtle is waiting. At 90 years young and going strong, she remains one of the most remarkable living treasures in the city of Boston, a gentle giant whose story spans nearly a century of life.

To learn more about Myrtle and the New England Aquarium visit https://www.neaq.org.