Weekly News Digest from Mote

The countdown to Shark Week 2013 is coming to an end, and on Aug. 4 shark fans around the world will surely be tuning into Discovery Channel for the latest in shark entertainment.

But if you’re ready for the latest in real shark science, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium is the place for you. Where better to learn true stories about our sharky neighbors than the nation’s only Congressionally Designated Center for Shark Research? That’s right: Mote is the only scientific organization to be designated as national shark experts!

Mote began studying sharks when we opened our doors in 1955. Today, many of the studies that our scientists currently conduct are highlighted through exhibits and special offerings in The Aquarium. Don’t miss out on these special opportunities for all shark enthusiasts:

Narrated Shark Feedings
Learn more about these fascinating fish at our narrated shark feedings offered at 11 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. These sessions are designed to give visitors more information about how we care for some of the ocean’s top predators and the training methods we use to make sure the resident sharks that live in our 135,000-gallon habitat are healthy and active.

In fact, Mote’s founding director, Dr. Eugenie Clark, was the first person to discover that sharks could be trained — information that she discovered during her groundbreaking research in the 1950s. Thanks to Dr. Clark’s efforts, people began realizing that sharks weren’t mindless eating machines — no matter what you see on TV! 

• The narrated shark feedings take place each Monday, Wednesday and Friday and are free with admission to The Aquarium at Mote Marine Laboratory. Guests have the opportunity to ask Mote staff questions when the formal sessions end.

Shark Encounter
If our training sessions don’t satiate you, learn more about shark biology, care, feeding and research during a Shark Encounter. This behind-the-scenes program is limited to just three guests and takes place atop the 135,000-gallon shark habitat.  

During Shark Encounters, guests join Mote animal care experts at 10 a.m. to prepare brunch for our sharks and large fish, including blacknose, nurse and sandbar sharks, southern stingrays, tarpon, snook, goliath grouper and more.

• Shark Encounters can be scheduled on most Wednesdays and are $45 per person and are for ages 13 and older (guests younger than 18 must be accompanied by a paying adult). Advance registration is required and does not include the price of admission to The Aquarium. To schedule your Shark Encounter, call 941-388-4441, ext. 348 or email groupsales@mote.org.

Find a Shark Tooth in Fossil Creek
All visitors are welcome to search for shark’s teeth and more at Fossil Creek – our attraction that allows you to play marine paleontologist using a waterway and sieve to look for natural treasures in the sand. You can even take your finds home with you. Fossil Creek is located in The Aquarium courtyard behind the Ray Tray.

• Cost is $5.99 (plus tax) for a bucket of sand that you look through for your natural treasures. Each bucket contains a unique mix of real fossils. Dig in!

My What Big Teeth the Megalodon Jaw Has! Step Inside for a Picture.
Next to Fossil Creek, step inside a Megalodon shark jaw for an unforgettable family photo op. Mote’s Megalodon shark jaw measures 10 feet wide and is a replica of a jaw from the largest shark species known to science. Megalodons could grow to 60 feet long and weigh an estimated 77 tons. These dominant marine predators died out about 2 million years ago.

• Visitors can pose for pictures inside the giant jaw and get prints on the spot in the Aquarium courtyard for just $5 (photos not included with Aquarium admission).

And last but not least, be sure to peruse our Aquarium gift shops for sharky souvenirs. From shark’s teeth to T-shirts and stuffed animals, Mote has something for every shark lover out there!

Aug. 24
Support Mote’s Education Programs – and Get a Discount at Macy’s!

Good deeds will be in style on Saturday, Aug. 24: Join Macy’s department store for its 8^th annual Shop for a Cause special benefiting nonprofit organizations nationwide.

Shoppers can support Mote Marine Laboratory’s education efforts, including school outreach programs, by purchasing a $5 Macy’s savings pass in the gift shop of The Aquarium at Mote, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway in Sarasota. All proceeds support Mote, and pass holders will receive great discounts at any Macy’s store, including Westfield Southgate in Sarasota.

Pass holders will receive 25 percent off regular, sale and clearance merchandise throughout Macy’s, as well as 10 percent off electronics, furniture, mattresses and area rugs. They will also be eligible to win a $500 gift card (no purchase necessary). Savings passes are valid in-store only, not on macys.com.

By purchasing a Macy’s savings pass from Mote, shoppers will support our efforts to reach up to 800 youth in classroom settings by raising our goal of $2,500 this year. Mote’s science education programs help the next generation discover the wonder of the oceans, learn to think like a scientist and learn about opportunities for marine science careers. Funds support education programs for area students and schools.

Mark Your Calendar: September
Good eats, great cause at Columbia

Dining out can satisfy much more than your appetite — eat at Columbia Restaurant during September and five percent of your check will support Mote or another nonprofit of your choice. The 16^th Annual Columbia Restaurant Community Harvest builds on 15 years of raising more than $1.3 million for Florida nonprofit organizations.

Columbia Restaurant is open from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 365 days a year at 411 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota.

Other Columbia locations participating in Community Harvest will include: Tampa’s Historic Ybor City, the Historic District in St. Augustine, Sand Key on Clearwater Beach, Central Florida's town of Celebration, the Columbia Café on the Riverwalk in Tampa and the Columbia Restaurant Café at Tampa International Airport. For more information about the Community Harvest program, including a list of participating nonprofits and restaurant locations, visit www.columbiarestaurant.org or contact Columbia Restaurant in Sarasota at 941-388-3987.

Mote needs your help to continue our mission of advancing marine science, education, and outreach. Visit www.mote.org for more food for thought.