Clearwater Marine Aquarium

727-441-1790 Facebook Twitter 249 Windward Passage
Clearwater, FL 33767

While the primary mission of Clearwater Marine Aquarium is the rescue and rehabilitation of injured wildlife, it has come to mean a lot more - to not only the local community and the residents of the aquarium, but also to generations of visitors who discover an entire world of life and love beneath the waves.

Of course, the star attraction at Clearwater Marine Aquarium is Winter, a bottle nose dolphin rescued in 2005 after being caught in a crab trap at 3mo old. By the time she was found, the trap lines had entangled her tail and cut off circulation - resulting in the eventual loss of her tail flukes. Despite all odds, Winter managed to not only survive, but thrive.

Of course, a dolphin's tail is perhaps the single most vital tool used for swimming - normally dolphins propel themselves by moving their tail up and down. Winter adapted to the loss of her tail by learning to flex her body side to side (like a shark) - but after quite a lot of struggle and research, she has been fitted with a prosthetic tail. The first of its' kind, Winter's artificial tail enables her to swim normally, and play with the other dolphins at the aquarium.

Winter isn't the only permanent resident - there are sea turtles, pelicans, sharks, rays, and even a trio of river otters named Cooper, Oscar and Walle. All in all, it's a great time for the whole family, and a wonderful inspirational experience.

 

 

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