CLEARWATER, Fla. — Nicholas the Dolphin celebrated his 20th birthday Friday at Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
The beloved bottlenose dolphin, who was rescued as a calf, got a Jell-O cake and personalized cone from his animal care team.
Guests sent Nick birthday wishes ahead of time during Thursday night's Summer Glow event, which is part of a series being held from 4-8 p.m. each Thursday, Friday and Saturday this summer.
Nicholas was just 120 pounds when he was found stranded in Gibsonton. He was discovered with his mother, Noelle, on Christmas Eve 2002, leading to holiday names for both of them.
Because the two dolphins were out in the sun for an unknown amount of time, young Nick had second and third-degree sunburns over 36 percent of his body. Noelle also had third-degree burns, in addition to a suspected respiratory illness. She died just days later, leaving Nick a 6-month-old orphan.
"Because he lacked necessary survival skills he would have learned from his mother, Nicholas did not make a suitable candidate for release, so Clearwater Marine Aquarium became his forever home," CMA explained in a news release.
Nick has lived at the marine animal rescue facility longer than any of the other dolphins there. Visitors can see him spending time with his buddy Hemingway.
If you have photos with Nicholas, you can share them on social media with the hashtag #NickTurns20. To watch the CMA dolphins at any time, the facility puts up live webcams. You can stream the video by clicking here.