Clearwater Marine Aquarium
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2012) |
 Winter, a tailless bottlenose dolphin, swims without her prosthetic tail |
|
| Date opened | 1972 |
|---|---|
| Location | Clearwater, Florida, United States |
| Coordinates | 27°58′37″N 82°49′09″W / 27.97686°N 82.81907°WCoordinates: 27°58′37″N 82°49′09″W / 27.97686°N 82.81907°W |
| Website | seewinter.com |
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a non-profit organization in Clearwater, Florida, United States. It is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of injured marine animals, public education, and animal-assisted therapy and research.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium opened in 1972 at its current location on Clearwater Beach, a former water treatment plant (the large tanks being well-suited for rehabilitation operations).
Numerous forms of marine life reside at the aquarium, some temporarily until they can be released, while others have serious injuries which do not permit their return to the wild, and thus become permanent residents.
The aquarium's best-known permanent resident, and the focus of its marketing campaigns, is Winter, a bottlenose dolphin who was rescued in December 2005 after having her tail caught in a crab trap. Her injuries caused the loss of her tail, and the aquarium fitted her with a prosthetic tail which brought worldwide attention to the facility. Winter later starred in the 2011 Dolphin Tale, shot partially on location at the aquarium.[1]
Contents |
Animals[edit]
Clearwater Marine Aquarium currently is home to three North American river otters, four Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, four Green sea turtles, four Kemp's ridley sea turtles, one Hawksbill sea turtle, twelve Cownose rays, two Southern stingrays, two Nurse sharks and plenty of fish in the Nurse shark exhibit including Gag, Hogfish, and Red drum.
Thelma[edit]
Thelma is a fully grown Nurse shark resident at CMA with Louise.
Louise[edit]
Louise is a fully grown Nurse shark resident at CMA with Thelma.
Bony fish[edit]
In the shark tank, there are hogfish, red drum, gag, spotted eels, mangrove snapper, black sea bass, common snook, pnfish, red grouper, lokdown, and white grunt.
Panama[edit]
Panama is a female Atlantic bottlenose dolphin who lives with Winter in one of the two show tanks. At birthday parties there, you can be in a show with her and Winter (mainly Panama). She is a very old female. She was rescued after she beached herself in Panama City.
Winter[edit]
Winter is an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin like Panama who lives in the same pool as her. Winter was found beached and caught in a crab trap. She lost her tail due to her injuries Winter developed a way to swim without a tail in a side to side motion. But because it was damaging her spinal cord a prosthetic tail was made for her. She was later able to have two flukes to be attached to the end of her body. Now she can swim without any assistance in an up and down motion and nothing is put on her any more.
Nicholas[edit]
Nicholas was rescued when he and his mother Noelle were found beached. Clearwater Marine Aquarium believes this is because Noelle fell ill and gave up on life and beached herself. Her calf followed her lead and beached himself with her. Both were rescued terribly ill and with third degree sunburns. Noelle died a few days later but Nicholas has survived and is now the only male dolphin at CMA and in a show nearby Hope's pool.
Hope[edit]
Hope is the newest resident dolphin at CMA. She was rescued after she and her mother were beached. She was found still nursing from her dead mother. Hope shares a pool with Winter and Panama.
Rays[edit]
there is a large tide pool with for some reason very few rays compared to most other aquariums nearby. (like the Florida Aquarium, the Pier Aquarium, and the Tarpon Springs Aquarium) There are twelve cownose rays in the touch pool and two southern stingrays.
Orchid[edit]
Orchid is not a permanent resident of CMA, she is being rehabilitated. Many others are being rehabilitated with her.
Cold front turtles[edit]
As a result in a cold front in Clearwater before, over two hundred turtles were rescued. Most are Kamp's ridley turtles and Green turtles but they did save a few hawksbill turtles and one loggerhead sea turtle. Many of the turtles have been released but a lot are still at CMA. Sea turtles being rehabilitated are never on display.
Bailey[edit]
Bailey is a male green sea turtle kept in a pool with four other turtles (Madareen sea turtle who is kept right by Cocoant resident at CMA and paralyzed her rear flippers causing her to always be in an awkward position).
Cocoa[edit]
Cocoa suffered a severe boat injury where he was hit by a boat motor in the skull. He is a Green sea turtle. His exhibit is near the otters, the five turtles, the overview of the sharks, and Titus' exhibit right next to him. Cocoa was found on Cocoa beach giving him his name.
Stubby[edit]
Stubby is one of the four green turtles. Stubby lost both of her front flippers when she was caught in a common fishing line. She is kept near Molly.
Titus[edit]
Titus is a female green sea turtle who lives near Cocoa. Titus was rescued after being hit by a boat and suffering buoyancy issues. Her issue is often nicknamed "bubble butt" because it causes her rear end to float up.
Madam[edit]
Madam is a female Kemp's ridley sea turtle who hatched at CMA.But she could not learn to do anything she needs in the wild as a hatchling.
Max[edit]
Max is a Kemp's ridley sea turtle and one of the permanent residents at CMA. Max suffers problems because he somehow sustained an injury leaving him mostly blind.
Molly[edit]
Molly is a Kemp's ridley sea turtle female who lives near Stubby in a special tank (Just like Stubby). She is missing both of her left flippers.
Rob[edit]
Rob is a Kemp's ridley sea turtle who is missing the right side of his lower jaw.
Stumpy[edit]
Stumpy is the only permanent Hawksbill sea turtle at CMA. Stumpy was part of a research facility. He lacks his front right flipper.
Oscar[edit]
Oscar is a young male river otter who was found in a dumpster near a busy parking lot and severely dehydrated. Oscar was starving but is now a healthy and cute resident at CMA.
Cooper[edit]
Cooper is one of the three male otters. It is believed that he was hit by a car due to the nature of the injuries of his hind legs, which are paralyzed.
Walle[edit]
Walle is the newest member of the CMA Family. He was rescued in Nov. 2012. He is very active and curious and gets along well with the other two otter residents.
Past residents[edit]
Died[edit]
- Atlantic bottlenose dolphins
- Sunset Sam
- Indy
- Dunham
- Blondie
- Autumn
- Harvey
- Rudy
- Caesar
- Sperm whales
- George
- North American river otters
- Webster
- Taz
- Tonka
- Rio
- Freeway
- Sunny
- LC
- Mosh
- Blossom
- Hulkster
Moved to another aquarium[edit]
- Bella
- Bogey
References[edit]
- ^ McCarthy, Ellen (September 23, 2011). "Movies: True story behind Dolphin Tale". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
