Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Blog & News

Clearwater Marine Aquarium Opens Florida: Wild & Exotic Exhibit

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium team has launched an exciting new exhibit, “Florida: Wild and Exotic,” which opened in the Atlantis Theater across from the Mangrove Key Kids Zone. This exhibit will showcase a variety of fascinating species, including amphibians, arthropods, reptiles and small mammals, all to help educate visitors about both native and invasive species in Florida.

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Clearwater Marine Aquarium Kicks Off Holidays with Aqua Lanterns: A Chinese Festival of Lights, Saturday, Nov. 16

Dive into a sea of lights and wonder at Aqua Lanterns: A Chinese Festival of Lights at Clearwater Marine Aquarium. This luminous new after-hours kicks off the holiday season on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 5:30 – 9:30 p.m. and will feature the Ruth Eckerd Hall Chorus, which will perform throughout the evening with a selection of songs.

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Right Whale Festival Returns to Amelia Island Nov. 2-3

The annual Right Whale Festival returns to Amelia Island, Florida, with more than 100 exhibitors and many fun and educational events. The festival takes place Nov. 2-3 at Main Beach Park in Fernandina Beach, beginning at 10 a.m. each day.

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Manatee Tracking – Vito

A full health assessment was conducted on a ten-foot adult male manatee named Vito on August 19, 2024 north of Savannah, Georgia through the collaborative effort between Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (CMARI), Georgia Aquarium (GAI), Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR) and many other partners. Vito received a complete health checkup by CMARI, GAI and University of Florida veterinarian staff. He was also outfitted with a GPS satellite tag to closely monitor his travels as part of our manatee Northern Atlantic Coast Manatee Movement study. The project will collect crucial habitat use and health data to help manage threats to manatees that migrate northward into coastal Georgia and the Carolinas during the warmer months of the year. Working in cooperation with state and federal agencies, data collected from this project will also be utilized to gain a better understanding of how manatees adjusted to the drastic loss of food sources along the east coast of Florida which was the primary contributing factor to the manatee Unusual Mortality Event in recent years.

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Manatee Tracking – Gotti

A full health assessment was conducted on a ten-foot adult male manatee named Gotti on August 21, 2024 north of Savannah, Georgia through the collaborative effort between Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (CMARI), Georgia Aquarium (GAI), Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR) and many other partners. Gotti received a complete health checkup by CMARI, GAI and University of Florida veterinarian staff. He was also outfitted with a GPS satellite tag to closely monitor his travels as part of our manatee Northern Atlantic Coast Manatee Movement study. The project will collect crucial habitat use and health data to help manage threats to manatees that migrate northward into coastal Georgia and the Carolinas during the warmer months of the year. Working in cooperation with state and federal agencies, data collected from this project will also be utilized to gain a better understanding of how manatees adjusted to the drastic loss of food sources along the east coast of Florida which was the primary contributing factor to the manatee Unusual Mortality Event in recent years.

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Sea Turtle Hospital Patient – Jacksonville

Jacksonville (or “Jax”) is a juvenile, green sea turtle who was found entangled in Volusia county on Aug. 24. Jacksonville was transferred to CMA from Volusia Marine Science Center on Aug. 27 to space limitations they were experiencing with recent strandings. CMA will continue out the remainder of their rehabilitation.

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Sea Turtle Hospital Patient – Hinsdale

Hinsdale is a juvenile green sea turtle who was found floating in St. Johns county on Aug. 25. Hinsdale was transferred to CMA from Whitney Lab on Aug. 27 due to space limitations they were experiencing with recent strandings. CMA will continue out the remainder of their rehabilitation.

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Sea Turtle Hospital Patient – Jaws

Jaws is a juvenile green sea turtle who was found washed ashore in St. Johns county on Aug. 10. Jaws was transferred to CMA from Whitney Lab on Aug. 27 due to space limitations they were experiencing with recent strandings. CMA will continue out the remainder of their rehabilitation. Our goal is to get Jaws ready for fibropapilloma tumor removal surgery!

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