Manatees Poised To Make Super Bowl 50 Picks

SARASOTA, FL — Football fans who want to know the outcome of this Sunday’s Super Bowl 50 before the game even begins don’t need a crystal ball. They can just wait to find out what Mote Aquarium manatees Hugh and Buffett have to say Thursday.

The two flippered celebrity football fans are poised to make their picks at the Sarasota aquarium at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 4. The pair happen to have quite a record for picking the winners and have made a habit of doing so for the last few years.

Whether they’ll favor the Denver Broncos or the Carolina Panthers remains a mystery at this point, but marine officials promise the two species ambassadors are worth taking time out to see. While Hugh and Buffett serve to educate thousands of visitors a year about wild manatees, they also happen to be highly trained in behaviors that support their care. One of those behaviors lends itself to the annual Super Bowl pick, Mote officials say.

“The training we focus on in our manatee exhibit revolves around husbandry behaviors, which help facilitate veterinary care, and research,” said Kat Boerner, Mote manatee research supervisor. “By having the manatees trained to go to targets, we are able to maneuver them around the exhibit and ask them for a variety of behaviors, which helps during veterinary care and during our research focused on manatee senses. The Super Bowl predictions are much like target training; we place a square PVC pipe structure in the exhibit with a photo of each of the teams competing in the Super Bowl. Hugh and Buffett take it from there to touch one of the two team logos.”

Buffett currently holds the best record in picks with seven out of eight correct. Hugh has been right five out of eight times.

Here are some of their past picks:

• 2015 – Buffett’s pick, New England. Hugh’s pick, Seattle. Winner, New England.
• 2014 – Buffett’s pick, Denver. Hugh’s pick, Seattle. Winner, Seattle.
• 2013 – Buffett’s pick, Baltimore. Hugh’s pick, Baltimore. Winner, Baltimore over the 49ers.
• 2012 – Buffett’s pick, New York. Hugh’s pick, New York. Winner, New York over New England.

The Super Bowl gets under way this Sunday, Feb. 7, at 6:30 p.m. when the Broncos and Panthers take to the gridiron.

To watch Buffett and Hugh make their picks, visit Mote Aquarium, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Thursday morning. For more information about the aquarium, visit it online.

Photo courtesy of Mote Aquarium

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