Resident manatees at Mote are part of a new study. Researchers from the University of California at Santa Cruz and the Aquarium are tracking the energetic costs of continuous swimming. The manatees, named Hugh and Buffett, voluntarily swim against the current in an endless pool water flume. They then breathe under a special acrylic dome connected to an oxygen analyzer. The pair have been trained using positive-reinforcement rewards such as: apples and carrots, rest when needed and how to swim at specific speeds.
