Overview

• Hundreds of animals, including manatees, sharks, penguins, sea turtles and river otters, were moved with species-specific transport and acclimation protocols under veterinary oversight.
• The new facility features three teaching labs focused on biomedical and microbiology, marine and coastal ecology, and ocean engineering and robotics.
• A 24-foot-deep, 400,000-gallon Gulf of Mexico habitat anchors expanded exhibits that include a massive manatee environment and homes for new species such as a giant Pacific octopus.
• Mote partnered with Sarasota and Manatee county school systems to bring roughly 70,000 K–12 students for free hands-on programs tied to classroom curricula.
• The center, expected to roughly double the former annual attendance of about 350,000 visitors, replaces the City Island public venue that had become harder to reach while core research remains on the barrier island.