Mote’s Resident Animals to Predict Winners of Super Bowl LV

February 1, 2021 – Sarasota

What: 
Tomorrow, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium resident manatees, Hugh and Buffett, and North American river otters, Huck, Pippi & Jane, will continue Mote’s yearly tradition and predict who will win Super Bowl LV! Will it be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Kansas City Chiefs? News media are invited to watch the animals decide! 

When:
TOMORROW, Feb. 2
Please arrive by 9:00 a.m.

Where:
1703 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236
Ann and Alfred Goldstein Marine Mammal Research and Rehabilitation Center at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium
Please meet near the entrance. 

Visuals & interviews:
News media will be able to watch manatees and otters predict the Super Bowl winners. Mote staff will be available to answer questions about Mote’s animals following the prediction. 

Media RSVP:
Mote Public Relations Manager Stephannie Kettle
skettle@mote.org
941-302-4997

Background: 
For the past 13 years, resident animals at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium have put in their picks for the Super Bowl. Last year, the otters had to “sub” in for the manatees while their habitat was under renovation. This year, they both get a chance to choose! Read about last year’s prediction here. 

Who’s the best? Check out each animal’s success record here:
Buffett: 10-2
Hugh: 6-6
Jane: 1-0
Huck: 0-1
Pippi: 0-1

Mote’s annual Super Bowl prediction, whether with resident manatees or otters, is an example of Mote Aquarium staff’s robust training program, one part of the excellent care each animal receives. Training allows the animals to participate in their own medical care: hopping onto a scale for weight check-ins, going into a crate, presenting their paws or tails for voluntary injections or blood draws, and opening their mouths for examination. One of the primary, basic behaviors animals learn is a “target” behavior. The animals learn to approach a target for a reward. Aside from “predicting” the Super Bowl, this allows staff to ensure that each animal gets their proper diet and supplements during feeding, among other things. 

Read more about our resident animals here, and be sure to check out the webcamsfor both the manatees and the otters!