The Parker Manatee Aquarium

The Parker Manatee Aquarium, designed to house three adult manatees, holds nearly 60,000 gallons of water, including a medication pool.  The pool offers both deep and shallow water, allowing the manatees to maintain natural feeding behaviors.  An exhibit area within the facility helps to educate the public about manatee anatomy, physiology and habitat, and provides above and below water viewing.  Working closely with Lowry Park Zoo’s critical care hospital for manatees, the Parker Manatee Aquarium is a second stage rehabilitation facility.  A second stage facility provides a temporary home for manatees that will be released back into the wild after having received treatment from an acute care hospital. The Aquarium has housed fourteen manatees as part of its rehab program.  Parker Manatee Aquarium is the permanent home to Manatee County's most famous resident and official mascot, ‘Snooty’, the manatee.