Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium is a distinguished independent nonprofit marine research and public education institution based in Sarasota, Florida, with its public-facing aquarium now operating at the new Mote Science Education Aquarium at Nathan Benderson Park. The facility's Florida's Gulf Coast gallery features an expansive 400,000-gallon immersive habitat where sharks, rays, moon jellies, and sea turtles glide overhead, while interactive touch stations allow guests to connect with stingrays. The Indo-Pacific gallery showcases a vibrant coral reef environment with reef sharks, colorful corals, sea stars, and species never before displayed at Mote, alongside beloved Florida wildlife including manatees, river otters, alligators, and gopher tortoises. Every exhibit is directly connected to active scientific research conducted in Mote's laboratories, with daily animal care demonstrations and narrated training sessions bringing conservation science to life for visitors of all ages.