Jon and Terry had been so looking forward to taking us to the
Theater of the Sea. Theater of the Sea is family owned and operated since 1946 and one of the oldest marine mammal facilities in the world. The lagoons and tropical gardens are home to Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, California sea lions, sea turtles, tropical and game fish, sharks, stingrays, alligators, marine invertebrates, and birds. We all had a blast!
Theater of the Sea is home to four different species of endangered sea turtles: Green (Caretta caretta), Loggerhead (Chelonia mydas), Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), and Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata). Each of the sea turtles on display are considered non-releasable for different reasons, including birth defects, buoyancy disorders, boat strikes, entanglement injuries, and predatory attacks. All sea turtles have an assigned primary caregiver, are hand fed a specific diet, participate in daily training and enrichment sessions, and receive routine veterinary care.
This life jacket helps this turtle stay afloat!
Theater of the Sea houses baby, juvenile and adult nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum). This species is easily recognized by their reddish-brown color and fang-like barbels.
Parrot Show
