Snooty’s 69th Birthday Bash: What You Need To Know

BRADENTON, FL — Snooty, the world-record-breaking manatee, turns 69 on July 21 and folks throughout the Tampa Bay area are invited to help him celebrate. Snooty’s big 69th birthday bash is set to take place at the South Florida Museum on Saturday, July 22.

Snooty’s 69th Birthday Bash & Wildlife Festival takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the 201 10th St. W. museum in Bradenton. The free festivities will be staged in Spanish Plaza in the museum’s north parking lot by the Manatee River and in front of the museum on 10th Street West. The celebration will include children’s games and art activities, cookies for the kids, a Snooty the Manatee Mascot Contest and other attractions.

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While the celebration is free, entry into the museum, aquarium and planetarium is not. In honor of Snooty’s birthday, however, half price admission is being offered throughout the day July 22. For entry, adults pay $9, senior tickets are $8 for those age 65 and older, and children ages 4 to 12 get in for $7. Children ages 4 and under are free with a paying adult.

Snooty was born at the old Miami Aquarium on July 21, 1948. In 2015, Guinness World Records certified Snooty as the “world’s oldest known manatee.” The Bradenton celeb has been under the care of the South Florida Museum since he arrived in Manatee County way back in 1949. In 1979, the popular critter was named Manatee County’s official mascot.

• See Also: Snooty Breaks World Record

As of Tuesday, July 11, Snooty weighed in at 1,230 pounds and was 9 feet, 8 inches long. He eats nearly 70 pounds of romaine lettuce and vegetables a day.

“Today, he is well known all over the world and each year receives birthday wishes from countries near and far,” museum officials have said. “Not only is Snooty a wildlife ambassador who introduces thousands of South Florida Museum visitors to manatees and their unique life histories each year, he also serves as a mentor to sick and injured manatees.”

Snooty, in fact, is exercising his mentoring abilities as his birthday approaches. The famous critter is sharing his habitat with three manatees being rehabilitated at the museum: Baca, Gale and Randall. All three are growing and doing well, the museum reported on July 11. Randall is hoped to be released back into the wild later this summer.

“They each eat between 40 and 50 pounds of vegetables daily and are the 31st, 32nd and 33rd rehabilitating manatees to stay with Snooty,” the museum reported. “The food bill for the manatees will likely exceed $75,000 this year.”

To find out more about Baca, Gale and Randall, check out this related story: Help Needed For Snooty’s 3 New Manatee Friends. To find out more about Snooty’s bash and the museum, visit its website.

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Photo courtesy of the South Florida Museum