Mote Marine Lab & Aquarium
Thursday, September 8, 2011 
Yesterday I spent the day working from Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota – my first time visiting the facility. If you've read my archived Nat Geo WILD posts, you may remember that Mote assisted with several of my whale shark pieces (including this one on tagging and tracking sharks and this one on the Great Migrations website.)
Mote was gracious to host me and my friend Katy for an inspiration day, as I'm currently gathering content for some new clients (three cheers for *new* clients!). Since Mote was founded in 1955, the facility has become known as a leader in marine science research. The sea turtles, dolphins and manatees that reside permanently at Mote Aquarium are all non-releasable animals that depend on human care to stay happy and healthy. Mote staff train all these species in behaviors that help with their veterinary care. These animals also participate in innovative research that helps reveal how marine mammals and sea turtles sense their environment. Mote's manatees are true research stars - they are the world's only manatees trained to participate in detailed behavioral research.
Katy and I were fortunate to go behind-the-scenes at many of the exhibits, talk with animal trainers and husbandry experts first-hand, and photograph the animals up-close-and-personal!
Some of the things we learned about include cutting-edge shark movement research, critical care for sea turtles, sustainable seafood, shark training, seahorse conservation, and Siberian fish aquaculture. One of the most fascinating parts of the day was encountering the dolphins up close, and learning about the long-snouted Spinner dolphin and pantropical spotted dolphin, species not commonly found in captivity. We also witnessed a shark feeding! One of the things I love about Mote is that many of the species on exhibit are found in local waters and throughout the state of Florida.
While I can't give away all my goods, I'd love to share with you a few photos from our visit, if you'd like to take a peek?
Jellyfish...
Shark feeding.... they are trained to eat from a target.
Always a favorite of mine at any aquarium... the cownose ray touch pool! I love these little guys.
My friend Katy just moved to Florida about a month ago, and she had never seen a manatee in the wild or captivity before...
Love at first sight!
We went inside the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital, an experience not offered as a tour to the general public. Mote is doing some amazing things to help protect the endangered sea turtles in our oceans...
At present, they are caring for some really sick turtles. You can learn more about their current patients online and help them continue their efforts by donating money to Mote.
This sea turtle below, Hang Tough, arrived at Mote back in 1992. He was found in the waters of Charlotte Harbor with a hook in one eye – and his other eye was recessed and permanently closed. As a blind turtle, Hang Tough could not be released back into the wild. We got to learn about Hang Tough directly from his animal care team and spend time with the turtle himself! He has grown fond of humans and even likes back scratches. See?
(PLEASE NOTE: Hands-on interaction with sea turtles is NOT part of the normal experience at Mote Aquarium and was allowed in this case with close supervision by Mote's animal care staff. However, Aquarium visitors can see the turtles up close and observe their daily training sessions.)
We wrapped up our time at Mote with a special dolphin encounter. As I mentioned earlier in this post, the long-snouted Spinner dolphin and pantropical spotted dolphin are species not commonly found in captivity. Generally you see the bottlenose dolphin. {You can learn about how these dolphins came to be at Mote here.)
{UPDATE on 9/24: I received an email from Mote Aquarium yesterday about the unexpecting passing of Harley the dolphin. My heart goes out to all the visitors, Mote trainers & staff that have grown to love Harley over the years. You can learn more about her case study here.)
Meet... Harley! She's the Spinner.
Want to know how the Spinner dolphin got its name? Let Harley show you!
I've got many more of photos of our time with Harley, but Moonshine is feeling left out. Here he is, a juvenile male pantropical spotted dolphin...
We also had the opportunity to watch a dolphin training session...
We had a wonderful, inspiring day. I can't wait to start writing my articles and editing my other photographs and videos (hint: Moonshine can make a lot of noises on cue!). This is a long post, but I've barely scratched the surface of all the things to do & see at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium. A big thanks to everyone who showed us around, and I hope you visit the facility soon!
Plan a visit to Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium:
UPDATE: You can read Katy's blog post about her experience here. Trust me, you'll want to check it out – she shares her ocean and marinelife-inspired sketches & paintings! They are INCREDIBLE. I can't get over the manatees and sea turtle ones – they truly blew me away. Enjoy!
Want to learn more about captive animal training, animal enrichment, or just go behind-the-scenes at zoos and aquariums from the comfort of your own home? Check out some of my archived stories published on the Nat Geo Inside Wild blog:
Aquarium Shark Swim – I faced my fear of sharks by swimming in a tank with seven species. An experience at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, GA. (Yep – there's video.)
Beluga Whale Encounter – The day I hung out with white whales at Sea World, Orlando (one of my favorite animal encounters of all time! Their heads feel like marshmellows!)
Behind-the-Scenes at Big Cat Falls – What's it like to care for tigers, pumas, and other big cats in captivity? I spent a day with an animal trainer at the Philadelphia Zoo in Philadelphia, PA. (And, if I ever meet you, I will tell you a secret story about something crazy that happened that day.)
Asian Elephant Shower – the day I got to scrub an elephant at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
Manta Ray Transport – last summer I followed the *top secret* overnight, eight-hour transport of a (200lb, 8ft wide) manta ray across state lines to the Georgia Aquarium. Here's how it all went down...
River Otter Fur – I spent an afternoon at the Turtle Back Zoo in South Orange, NJ to learn about this playful and beautiful species. One of my favorite animal pics I've ever taken.
Whale Shark Feeding – How does the Georgia Aquarium feed their whale sharks, the ocean's largest fish? Here's what I found out...
The Oldest Dolphin in Human Care – the day I met Nellie, a 57-year old dolphin, at Marineland's Dolphin Conservation Center. She once starred in a vintage Timex commercial!
A Zookeeper's Life – Follow several zookeepers as they go about their daily routines, a day spent at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
Stay tuned to hear about upcoming articles and publication dates, new client news, and all-things wildlife conservation & travel and please check out my updated bio page.
Reader Comments (6)
What an awesome experience! I need to visit Mote.
ah! why didn't we discuss that you were doing this?! when i was in seventh grade i did a week long camp at mote. it was so awesome. i wanted to be a marine biologist at the time. can't wait to talk about this!
love the photographs, thank you for posting. especially the bit about the blind sea turtle... people need to see and understand how humans can negatively impact wildlife..... it's great you're so passionate about animal conservation. keep up the good work.
I am all kinds of jealous right now--I love manatees. As in, I'm a little obsessed with them. You have such wonderful and enriching adventures--thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much, Rebecca! I adore manatees as well! :) You should definitely swim with them in the wild, if you haven't done so already! You can go where I did (read here: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/wild/community/blogs/inside-wild/_snorkeling-wild-manatees). Also if you want to help out manatees, Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo has a fabulous critical care hospital that rehabilitates injured/sick manatees with the intent to release them back into the wild (I did a behind-the-scenes tour, which you can read here if you're interested: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/wild/community/blogs/inside-wild/_manatee-hospital-tour). Thanks so much for stopping by the blog!