Visit to MOTE

Another one crossed off our list.  We joined Archer and Karen Ann in Sarasota and they drove the additional half hour to the MOTE Marine Laboratory & Aquarium.  I have no idea what MOTE stands for but it opened in 1955 and the aquarium opened in 1980.

This is the only photo I took because I didn't think our friends would be too impressed if I stopped every few minutes to take pictures and to be honest, there wasn't that much that I would have taken photos of anyway.

It is a typical aquarium with tanks full of fish and sea turtles.  Most of the animals there have been rescued and are unable to live in the wild.  It is somewhat sad to see them swimming around in a big tank, rather than in the ocean with lots of room.  Unlikely they will be eaten by anything, tho. The sea turtles are either blind or vision impaired, the manatees were born in captivity and would not know how to live free.  

They breed and raise seahorses, which they ship to aquariums around the world.  There is a tank full of pregnant MALE seahorses because they carry the young.  Pretty interesting actually.  

It was nice to cross it off our list but I doubt we will return.

Thanks for stopping by...
;o)