Mote Marine is more than an aquarium. It is a laboratory where studies are done on Red Tide and coral rehabilitation and research is ongoing on sharks, other sea creatures and marine habitats.
Visitors can catch a glimpse of marine scientists at work.
The main attraction, however, is the sea life. Sharks, manatees, sea turtles and fish have amazed visitors since 1980 at this facility on Sarasota Bay. In the Remarkable Rays Touch Pool, stingrays can be touched as they swim by, sometimes splashing their admirers.
At the Contact Cove exhibit, horseshoe crabs, sea stars and other creatures can be gently handled.
Catch a glimpse of the preserved 25-foot giant squid, one of only two on display in the United States.
A computer-generated, interactive movie experience invites audiences to work their way through the marine food chain.
Hugh and Buffett are the two manatees in the huge manatee tank. Born in captivity, both males are larger than usual. They are quite entertaining as they roll, rise to the top of the tank for air or shove their flat faces against the tank as if looking back at the spectators.
A 135,000-gallon tank houses sharks and other fish. Shark feeding time is always a highlight of a visit.
The lab also rescues sea creatures and rehabilitates them with the goal of releasing them back into their natural habitat. Recently, two dolphins were in a viewing tank.
Pick up souvenirs or have a bite at the cafe and gift shops at the aquarium and the marine mammal center across the street.
MOTE AQUARIUM AND MARINE LABORATORY
WHERE: 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, (941) 388-2451.
