Buffett the manatee has accurately predicted the winner of the Super Bowl for 10 of the past 12 years at Mote Aquarium. Mote’s manatee habitat is currently undergoing renovations, so another group of mammals subbed in to test their luck and “football knowledge” by making their pick for the winner of Super Bowl LIV.
Pippi, Jane and Huck, the North American river otters at Mote, scurried and slid around their habitat before diving into the water and connecting with a target associated with one of the teams competing in the 2020 Super Bowl.
The otters, like the manatees Buffet and Hugh, are trained in animal husbandry to monitor their physical health and to understand more about the otters’ mental abilities. This team-picking exercise was performed like many of the otters’ other daily exercises: each otter was individually called to the top of the habitat and then sent down to the water to choose a target stuck on the glass.
Each otter is trained to select a different target, much like a name tag, but for this exercise all three otters were trained to look for a target featuring an image of a football.
The first otter to pick was Pippi, who selected the San Francisco 49ers. Next up Jane chose the Kansas City Chiefs, leaving the tie-breaking pick up to Huck. Huck dove into the water and straight into the 49ers target, settling the debate before munching on some chunks of fish and swimming away.
Pippi, Jane, and Huck boldly made their picks, but do they have the same luck as Buffett and Hugh? We’ll find out this Sunday!