PCHS Bulletin – Amelia Capellan
Date Published – April 22, 2026
During the month of March, Parrish Community High School Marine Science classes were given the opportunity to attend a trip to the new Mote Museum Laboratory and Aquarium at UTC in Sarasota. The trip was an incredible experience for learning and exploring all the aquarium has to offer.
Marine Science Teacher Savanna Finley said the new facility is centered around education and “helps bridge the gap between formal and informal learning.” She also said, “Mote provides their classroom experiences for free to teachers in Sarasota and Manatee County!”
The trips were offered to students on March 24, 25 and 26, and students were able to pick one day, which gave them the opportunity to choose a date with friends.
Once students arrived, they were greeted by their guide and brought into a classroom-type environment to learn about Mote’s history, mission, conservation, and research.
Students were also given the opportunity to participate in a lab, simulating the fish tracking technology that Mote practices to learn more about different species and their environment.
After the lab, all students were released to the aquarium where they were free to explore and observe or interact with all the organisms and habitats around. The aquarium was full of beautiful animals with so much to see and learn from each environment.
On the top floor’s outer deck, students got to enjoy viewing otters, manatees, various shelled species such as a tortoise, a diamondback terrapin turtle, and an alligator snapping turtle.
On the second floor, students saw penguins, jellyfish, a sea turtle, rays, and various types of sharks. The aquarium included touch tanks where visitors were even able to touch sharks and sea anemones.
On the bottom floor, there were several tanks that included fish, coral, crabs, seahorses, jellyfish, and even an octopus. There was a lot to see all around the museum and a lot to learn about each animal.
Finley loves all the exhibits. However, she said, “The Gulf tank on the first floor and the Indo Pacific tank on the second floor are my favorites because of all the sharks and rays!”
There were many different species of animals in the aquarium that students were able to learn about while touring. Finley explained a few of them:
Medusa Jellyfish: Known for having a gelatinous body known as the bell, which propels them through the water. Their tentacles are equipped with stinging cells and are used for capturing prey and defense.
Humboldt Penguin: A medium sized penguin which is native to Peru and Chile. They have reddish-brown eyes and a pink, bare-skin patch at the base of their bill used for thermoregulation.
Blacktip Shark: A fast, medium-sized, stout-bodied requiem shark, known for its pointed snout and black-tipped pectoral, dorsal, and tail fins.
Unicorn Fish: A tropical marine fish, known for the prominent, horn-like projection extending from their foreheads. They also possess the ability to change colors rapidly.
The trips were an incredible learning experience for those who are interested in marine biology as a subject or even as a career.
Finley said, “aquariums are a great way to broaden your horizons and get to experience animals outside of our norms! Aquariums help to build connections between humans and animals which in turn makes us more inclined to protect them!”