Celebrate Manatee Awareness Month this November at Clearwater Marine Aquarium
Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) is celebrating Manatee Awareness Month throughout November with a month-long lineup of interactive guest activities, special experiences, and opportunities to learn more about the conservation of Florida’s beloved manatees.
Throughout November, guests can enjoy themed activities every day of the week at CMA, including:
- Manatee Mondays, featuring a 10% admission discount for guests wearing manatee-themed apparel and a special manatee talk at noon.
- Manatee Trivia Tuesdays, with interactive trivia games.
- Wild About Manatees Wednesdays, offering discounts on select manatee-themed Fahlo bracelets.
- Manatee Treat Thursdays, featuring manatee cookie kits available for purchase in Shark Bites café.
- Manatee Fan Fridays, when three hidden manatee plush toys will be placed throughout the aquarium for lucky guests to find.
Sea Cow Saturdays featuring Manatee Bingo. - Manatee Mission Sundays with educational opportunities to learn more about manatee conservation.
- Guests can also participate in daily hands-on crafts, including painting their own manatee rocks, and enjoy manatee-themed photo opportunities, treats and more.
Additional November highlights include a special Fahlo activation Nov. 14–15 and a Manatee Awareness Month member giveaway. CMA members will receive one entry into a drawing for a special aquarium animal experience for every visit during November.
Beyond the guest experiences, November also provides an opportunity to spotlight CMA’s extensive manatee research, rescue and rehabilitation expertise. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (CMARI) conducts important research throughout Florida and internationally, including ongoing work in Cuba and Belize, to better understand manatee populations, movements, habitats and the challenges they face.
CMA’s manatee experts bring a wealth of experience to this work, including:
- Dr. Anmari Alvarez-Aleman, CMA’s Senior Vice President of Research and Conservation, who has studied manatees in her native Cuba and the Caribbean for decades
- Jamal Galves, whose manatee conservation and research efforts focus on Belize
- Monica Ross, a Florida-based manatee researcher and expert
- Dr. Shelly Marquardt, Vice President of Animal and Environmental Health with extensive experience caring for manatees
- Tanya Ward, CMA’s Dr. James “Buddy” Powell Manatee Rehabilitation Center manager
Together, their work and expertise demonstrate the aquarium’s commitment to advancing manatee conservation through research, veterinary care, rehabilitation and education.
CMARI recently highlighted its research on an international stage, with seven representatives participating in the Society for Marine Mammalogy’s 26th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, held Oct. 19–23 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Dr. Anmari Alvarez-Aleman served as conference co-chair, while six CMARI researchers presented findings on manatee conservation and related marine mammal research.
“Research, rehabilitation and education are essential to protecting manatees and the habitats they depend on,” said Dr. Alvarez-Aleman. “Manatee Awareness Month allows us to connect our guests with these incredible animals while sharing the important work happening behind the scenes, both locally and internationally, to support their future.”
Guests are invited to celebrate Manatee Awareness Month during November while discovering how they can help protect this important keystone species.
For more information about CMA and its Manatee Awareness Month activities, visit https://www.cmaquarium.org/event/manatee-awareness-month/