Florida

The Sporking Life

St. Lucie County Aquarium / Smithsonian Research Station



St. Lucie County Aquarium / Smithsonian Research Station

 
Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History


 
420 Seaway Dr.
Fort Pierce, FL 34949
772-462-3474






AT A GLANCE:  St. Lucie County Aquarium / Smithsonian Research Station


Parking
Free, onsite parking.  Keep in mind that many tourists pass through this area.

Amount of time needed to peruse exhibits:
1 hour

Amount of time needed for gift shop
5 – 10 minutes

Dress code
Just about anything goes.  Beach wear is appropriate here.  

Be sure to…..
Get a shrimp manicure   

Nearby/other establishments to visit
·         Family-oriented beaches and parks
·         Manatee Observation and Education Center

Walkability, general downtown area / amount of traffic
You will need a car, or other transportation.

Safety, in terms of type and number of crimes committed in general area
Generally safe.  Please keep valuables out of site and lock your car, to keep the honest people honest.






St. Lucie County Aquarium / Smithsonian Research Station (Aquarium)





Great places to relax are adjacent to the Aquarium


* The restrooms are located in the back, behind the Aquarium *

The Aquarium is affiliated with both the Smithsonian Institution and Florida Atlantic University, and is considered a research and teaching facility.  They display ecosystems, as opposed to individual species, and information is plentiful at each exhibit.  The first few exhibits you’ll pass challenge you

to locate camouflaged species in different settings.  A volunteer happened along at the right time to help us out, because I saw nothing.   

The Discovery Room is at the halfway point of the Aquarium, and is a good place for children to blow off some steam.  There are interactive stations requiring identification of different species, and assigning a species to the correct ecosystem.  One of the
Red filters to watch fish
exhibits after the Discovery Room teaches us about varying wave lengths of light, and why it’s best to use a light with a red filter.  My favorite display is the tank with the jelly fish.  The Aquarium provides benches in the event that you’d like to spend more time contemplating these unique watery worlds.  I think that I could sit and watch them for 20 – 30 minutes.

You are at the end of the displays, yet there’s something you still need to experience:  the “Touch Tank.”  No need to worry, all of the species here are harmless and a trained volunteer is always
The Touch Tank; History of Coral Reefs
present and won’t let anything harm you.  I touched a sea cucumber and contrasted its squishiness with the armor-like nine-armed starfish.  Stick your fingers in the fish bowl that’s on the counter.  These little shrimp will clean up your manicure by eating the dead skin around your fingernails.  It’s tingly, creepy, and kind of cool.

The gift shop disappointed me.  It wasn’t the small size that I found disturbing, but its lack of merchandise available for
Toys for children
anyone other than a 3 – 13-year old child.  The majority of the gift shop had plush toys and inexpensive jewelry for sale.  There were no refrigerator magnets or shot glasses, just a few hats, coffee mugs, one tote bag, and one t-shirt design.  You’ll be through the gift shop in less than 10 minutes.  I wish I could write more about it, but my photos tell the remainder of the story.




 
The t-shirt and tote bag
Children's t-shirts; Grab bag items for children to purchase for themselves
 
It’s time for lunch.  

 
The Original Tiki Bar, Ft. Pierce, Florida



The Original Tiki Bar (OTB)

Don’t hate the waitresses because they are all tan, thin and young.  Think about it, though.  Wouldn’t that be the best job?  Remember back to when all of us were tanner, thinner and younger then we are now.  Admit it; you’re already thinking about yourself as one of the wait staff.  Carefree, kind of wild, and spending your time in Florida.  Sign….where have the years gone?

By now, you have seen the menu item “Cuban Sandwich” often in your travels in Florida.  It consists of roasted pork, smoked ham, swiss cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard served on Cuban bread.  The one at the OTB isn’t bad if you’ve had a hankering to try one.  Just so you know, this sandwich is better at any of the Cuban restaurants in Central and Southern Florida.  Trust me, it’s a wonderful sandwich; yet don’t make a habit of eating these often.  They have 352 calories, which isn’t that bad, but oh, the sodium:  1,000 mg.

The OTB sells t-shirts, sweat shirts and similar wearables.  It’s as if Florida is telling you that you
Continue shopping during lunch
don’t have to stop shopping while you’re eating lunch.  Sit back, sip your adult beverage, and get some of your holiday shopping done.  Many would enjoy finding an OTB t-shirt in their stocking or pile of packages.  It’s all good.  Advertisement from folks wearing the OTB garb that they’ve paid money for is always good in the marketing world.  Especially if those people are tan, thin and young.

Upon exiting the OTB, you will come face-to-face with a souvenir/gift shop.  There’s nothing unique or exciting about the merchandise for sale here.  In fact, the front half of the store is schlocky.  I advise you to skip it, as it is not worth the time.  Fortunately, you have one more stop to make and it has the quality shopping you have come to expect from me.  Read on.

Related website:






Manatee Observation and Education Center (MOE)

I’ll admit that so far today I have not provided any quality shopping opportunities.  That is about to change.  Go north (turn right) as you leave the OTB parking lot, and minutes ahead is the Manatee Observation and Education Center.  There’s no denying that it looks like the many souvenir stands that you pass on Highway 1. Give this one a chance.  The path from the parking lot to the entrance does a good job educating and the importance of preserving this species. You can read the informative signs that line the path to the MOE and The Vanishing Mermaid Gift Shop.  

 Manatees are considered threatened / vulnerable by the organization that keeps tabs on such things:  the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).    This importance of education you receive about preserving manatees lets you know that their numbers are few, so please make it a point to learn about manatees while you are in Florida.  Manatees are slow moving and gentle, and have the energy of a lazy Basset Hound.   Go up on the observation platform, and sit a bit on the benches provided and gaze at this unique view.  Walk back down the stairs and look over to your right.  Look past the boats and the marina, and locate the building with the blue roof.  The OTB is that long thatched rough in front of it.

* Read more about population status and the various levels conservation status at the end of this blog.

Back to shopping.  The Vanishing Mermaid Gift Shop is part of the building that houses MOE.  Walk in.  Stop.  A plush manatee wearing an “I LVE MANATEES” t-shirt greets you at the display closest to the entrance.  It will make you smile and tug on your heartstrings, often at the same time.  On your right immediately inside the MOE, and surrounding my little manatee with the cute t-shirt are themed plush toys, including hammerhead sharks, manatees, sand crabs and mermaids.  The majority of children’s’ clothes and toys are found along this wall, all the way to the back of the shop. 

 

The Vanishing Mermaid has many items for adults.  Boutique-style tops and skirts, jewelry, and sassy hats are all there.  We visited at an opportune time, because we found many things were marked down and “on sale.”  I bought a $20 pair of earrings that had beenmarked down to $4.99.  You know that I love a good deal.  You might want jewelry that is fancier than my earrings, and that is behind the glass counter.  I was about to spend over 30 minutes in the Vanishing Mermaid, but I was pulled away before my shopping mojo kicked into high gear.  Their website offers online shopping for most of the items found in the shop.  Enjoy the photos below.

Manatee slippers and a flamingo neck pillow

Hammerhead shark, manatee, and mermaids



Squiggly pens for children to purchase
 

Refrigerator magnets; boutique items for ladies




Metal flip flops for your home or office.  I love these!



Related websites:







More manatee information


This is a graphic courtesy of Wikipedia, and shows the varying levels of extinction.  It is not certain how long it will be before manatees become extinct.  If you'd like to find out more about the IUCN, click here.
 


Different Ways to Perform Population Counts

As an example, let’s say we have 200 manatees. 

  • ·         140 of these are over 35 years old
  • ·         15 are younger than 1 year old
  • ·         20 are male, 25 are female

Here are some assumptions we can make before we tackle the population count:
  • ·         Manatees have a life span of 60 years
  • ·         They breed when they are 5 – 9 years old
  • ·         One calf is born every 2- - 5 years
  • ·         Calves are dependent on their mothers for 1 – 2 years
  • ·         Calving after 30 years old is rare
  • ·         Each breeding female manatee has approximately five calves in here lifetime


Simple question:  what is the count of the manatee population?

Answer 1:  Count all manatees, and you can report that you have 200 manatees.

Answer 2:  Count only those manatees that are capable of breeding right now, and your answer changes to 45.

Answer 3:  Count only those manatees that are, or will be, capable of breeding soon.  This amounts to 60 manatees.

All of these answers are correct.  You now know to question simple population statistics to determine which answer is appropriate for the subject asked.  People will be awed by your insight.

Above graphic and information are courtesy of  "All the Sea" and Manatee From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.






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