World’s Oldest Manatee Turns 69

BRADENTON, FL — Snooty, Florida’s resident celebrity manatee, officially turned 69 years old on Friday, once again breaking the world record he set back in 2015. The plucky critter is the “world’s oldest-known manatee,” according to the Guinness World Records.

Snooty will celebrate the milestone on Saturday, July 22 with his friends at the South Florida Museum in Bradenton. The celebrity sea cow has aptly called Manatee County home since 1949 when “Baby Snoots,” as he was called at the time, arrived in Bradenton. He’s a Miami native, however, born at the Miami Aquarium on July 21, 1948. Snooty became Manatee County’s official mascot in 1979.

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Aside from world-record fame, Snooty was featured on the “Captain Kangaroo” television show in 1982 in a documentary on manatees.

“Snooty is a one-of-a-kind animal," Brynne Anne Besio, the museum's CEO, told Patch in a previous interview. "Not only does he make history every day as the Guinness certified oldest-known manatee in the world, but he also provides valuable insight into the health and life cycle of all manatees.”

• See Also: Snooty Breaks World Record

In addition to being Snooty’s home, the South Florida Museum and its Parker Manatee Aquarium are part of the Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership. The group, originally created by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is made up of organizations that rescue and rehabilitate manatees.

Snooty serves a valuable role in the museum’s rescue and rehabilitation efforts, officials have said. His job is to act as a “mentor to sick and injured manatees.”

Snooty, in fact, is currently exercising those mentoring abilities. The famous critter is sharing his habitat with three manatees being rehabilitated at the museum: Baca, Gale and Randall. The trio arrived at the museum in May to finish out their recovery before being returned to the wild. 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.

Snooty will get some time off from mentoring duties for his big birthday bash on Saturday. 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.

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.

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, the birthday bash and the museum, visit its website.

Photo courtesy of the South Florida Museum