New Members: Miami Seaquarium (Florida), Sea Life Park (Hawaii), and Living Shores Aquarium (Northeastern United States) join Species360

We are so pleased to welcome new members Miami Seaquarium, Sea Life Park, Hawaii, and Living Shores Aquarium, New Hampshire. All three US-based aquariums are part of Parques Reunidos Group of Spain, and join the more than 350 aquatic institutions worldwide that record and share essential animal and enclosure data using the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS).

Miami Seaquarium is committed to wildlife conservation and the rescue, rehabilitation and release of distressed marine mammals. The park’s conservation dates to July of 1955, when Maime, a 3 week old, 47 pound manatee was rescued after being injured. Since that first rescue, the Seaquarium has rescued, rehabilitated and released countless manatees, sea turtles, dolphins and whales – including 86 manatees and 175 sea turtles over the past ten years.

Today Miami Seaquarium is at the forefront of manatee rescue and rehabilitation techniques and is recognized as having one of the leading marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation teams in the country. Its team has achieved many “firsts” including being the first rehabilitation facility to document “spontaneous lactation” among female manatees; the first neurological surgery performed on an injured manatee using the same rod and pin system used to repair human spinal cord injuries; and the rehabilitation and release of the first manatee to survive a deadly condition called Pyothorax known to be fatal to all previous manatees.

Sea Life Park welcomes over 500,000 visitors annually to its marine park, bird sanctuary and aquarium in Waimānalo near Makapuʻu Point, north of Hanauma Bay on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, United States.

Sea Life Park, located on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, focuses on education and conservation, and organizes field trips and special events including the nightly Ka Moana Lū‘au. Part of the educational mission is to teach its more than 500,000 annual visitors about the rich diversity of life in local waters, and why it is important to protect marine life including sea turtles, bottlenose dolphins, and more.

Living Shores Aquarium introduces visitors to marine and New England fresh water species. (Photo Courtesy of Living Shores Aquarium)

Living Shores Aquarium includes over 32,000 sq. ft. of interactive tide pools, exhibits, and immersive activities that introduce visitors to oceanic and New England lake species. A digital sandbox invites kids to dig and discover marine life living on New England’s beaches, as well as a drawing station where they bring their own sea creatures to life and see how they move through their habitat.

As a global nonprofit, Species360 facilitates international collaboration in recording and sharing essential data on species. A growing number of wildlife institutions are participating in this effort. In all, 34 aquariums, zoos, and wildlife refuges in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas have joined Species360 this year. They represent non-profit and for-profit, large and small institutions.

Animal data recorded by members using the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) bridges a wide gap in our knowledge of species. Research shows that together we increase what is known about on birds, reptiles, mammals, and fish by as much as 800 percent.

We thank our more than 40 partner associations worldwide for their collaboration in building this community. And thank you, to all of our members, for being part of this important work!

Learn more about Species360 new members here.