Mote Aquarium The aquarium is the public outreach arm of the laboratory, displaying more than 100 marine species with a focus on species and ecosystems studied by staff scientists. The aquarium is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which accredits qualified facilities based on a rigorous application and inspection process focusing on animal care, conservation, and science, facilities, and more. The aquarium opened in 1980 on City Island in Sarasota Bay to display sharks, manatees, sea turtles, seahorses, rays, skates, and invertebrates including cuttlefish, octopuses, sea jellies, anemones, and corals. Special exhibits have included "Otters and Their Waters" and "The Teeth Beneath: The Wild World of Gators, Crocs, and Caimans" that features animals found in the watershed (land that drains into the ocean and other waterbodies), including North American river otters, American alligators, and spectacled caimans. A special exhibit "Oh Baby! Life Cycles of the Seas" deals with marine courtship and reproduction and features the offspring of multiple species and their early-life survival challenges through an interactive game, a baby shark touch tank, and other features. The aquarium includes windows into working laboratories and interactive exhibits designed to make science accessible for all ages. The aquarium presents shark feedings, in which large sharks are trained to go to specific targets for a food reward. Other resident animals, such as sea turtles and river otters, are fed and trained similarly during sessions designed to enhance their care and provide healthy stimulation. All narrated training and feeding sessions are designed specifically for animal care, and in some cases, to allow behavioral research intended to inform conservation of wild populations. Until 2011, Harley, the last recorded spinner dolphin in captivity in the United States lived at Mote Aquarium. Education The education, aquarium, and outreach division of the laboratory includes a marine science school and public programs for all ages. The laboratory also offers internships, summer camps, school visits, field trips, on-demand learning experiences, an annual special lecture series featuring staff scientists and other marine experts, and a digital-learning program called SeaTrek.TV, which connects staff educators to students and other audiences via live videoconferencing, often using common computer programs and service, making scientific lessons accessible to classrooms across the U.S. and abroad. The laboratory also provides enhanced adult learning programs such as professional development workshops for teachers, and multiple aquarium tanks are maintained at other southwest Florida facilities, including at the Sarasota–Bradenton