Snooty – The Oldest Manatee on Record Turns 69 on July 21st!

Snooty the manatee was born on July 21,1948 at the old Miami Aquarium and Tackle Company. Then in1949, Snooty was transported over to Bradenton, Florida where he has been living in the Parker Aquarium at the South Florida Museum all of these years. Snooty turns 69 this Friday, July 21st!

Greetings!

It’s always so absolutely awesome talking about my good friend and buddy, Snooty the Manatee! Why you ask? Well – the fantastic and historical news is Snooty will be celebrating his 69th birthday this coming Friday, July 21st! Where? At the South Florida Museum located in Bradenton, Florida! Snooty is definitely a celebrity these days because the Guinness World Records has now officially recognized Snooty as the “World’s Oldest Manatee in Captivity.” The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported the oldest manatee living in the wild was 59 years old. However, a manatee living in the wild usually only has a life span to around age 30 due to serious natural threats of red tide and cold stress. And the unfortunate ongoing human threat of watercraft strikes.

Snooty was born on July 21, 1948 at the old Miami Aquarium and Tackle Company. Then in 1949, Snooty was transported over to Bradenton, Florida. Snooty has been living at the South Florida Museum’s Parker Aquarium all these years. And to date he has enjoyed well over 1 million visitors and fans!

Snooty has been overjoyed with constant human interaction during all of his life and it’s reported that he even identifies the voices of his trainers! The South Florida Museum tells me Snooty currently weighs in at 1000 pounds and his length is 9 feet, 8 inches. Snooty’s girth measures in at 88.5 inches. He also has a big paddle-shaped tail and two small indentations on his left side. These resulted from scars involving skin infections he had several decades ago.

Snooty’s Home at The Parker Aquarium is also a Second-Stage Rehab Facility!

South Florida Museum’s Parker Aquarium is not only holding the “Oldest Living Manatee in Captivity,” the aquarium is also a second-stage rehabilitation facility, which provides a temporary home for manatees that will be released back into the wild after their treatment. Visitors can meet Snooty and learn about manatee habitat, nutrition and physiology, and what to do when they encounter manatees in the wild. The aquarium has housed 30 manatees, along with Snooty as part of their rehabilitation program.

Manatees (including yours truly) are warm-blooded marine mammals and we need water temperatures of at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit to survive.

Here is the link so you can watch and enjoy Snooty LIVE at the Parker Aquarium…

http://www.southfloridamuseum.org/TheAquarium/SnootyCam.aspx

If you are in Florida and you see a sick or injured manatee, please call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at: 1-888-404-FWCC. They are the folks who are responsible for rescuing us in Florida.

Here’s the Save the Manatee Club link to learn more about us manatees …

www.savethemanatee.org

Here’s a cool link for you to learn more about how we’re rescued and brought into rehabilitation …

www.wildtracks.org

~ Kobee Manatee

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Snooty the Manatee Turns 66!