SARASOTA, Fla. — The Mote family shared the heartbreaking news that resident manatee Hugh passed on Saturday, April 29.
Hugh the manatee was born at Miami Seaquarium and arrived at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium on May 2, 1996. He was 38 years old.
Mote said Hugh showed behavioral changes earlier in the day, and animal care staff began monitoring him. By Saturday afternoon the manatee became unresponsive in his habitat at Mote Aquarium's Marine Mammal Center.
The animal care team later determined he passed away. A necropsy will be performed to determine the cause of death. It's expected to take at least eight weeks.
Hugh served as an ambassador for the manatee species, which were dying at an alarming rate in Florida amid ongoing starvation over the last two years. Mote says Hugh routinely and voluntarily took part in manatee research studies.
"Hugh, and his brother Buffett, are the world’s only manatees to participate in voluntary, detailed behavioral research designed to aid manatee conservation," Mote said in a news release. "Hugh’s indelible and lasting legacy will be one of an invaluable contribution to the scientific understanding of manatee behavior and contributions to the conservation of his species."
Each year, fans and manatee enthusiasts watch Hugh and Buffett pick a Super Bowl winner with a simple boop of the nose. This year, Hugh chose the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LVII. The animals make their picks using something called target training, Mote PR Manager Stephannie Kettle explained. A target is placed in the tank directly between the two team photos to draw the manatees over so they can then make their predictions.
10 Tampa Bay's Andrea Chu contributed to this article.