Adopt a Shark Today! Your symbolic adoption directly benefits Mote Aquarium and the animals inside it.


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Mote has been obsessed with sharks since we opened our doors in 1955 and our founding Director, Dr. Eugenie Clark, earned the nickname "The Shark Lady." Today, Mote boasts the only Center for Shark Research designated by the U.S. Congress, where we're working to understand and help conserve shark species and investigate why sharks, skates and rays rarely get cancer —and whether we can use that knowledge to find new treatments for humans who do.

In the Shark Zone, you can explore the history of Mote's shark research—from studying shark repellants and being the first to discover that sharks could learn through training to tracking shark migrations over thousands of miles. Our Shark Habitat also features the world's largest grouper species (the goliath grouper) and other popular Florida game fishes. 

Also in the Shark Zone: 

  • SharkTracker, which features bonnethead sharks (cousins of the great hammerhead)
  • Ray Tray pool, where you can meet sharks' cousins, the stingrays

Happening at Mote

Fin Fact

Coral reefs are declining because of climate change—warming temperatures and ocean acidification—but Mote scientists are learning that some corals may cope better than others. For instance, Mote led research has revealed climate change-resilient, native genetic varieties of staghorn coral (an important Florida coral species), and we're growing them in our coral restoration nurseries.