New ‘Mystery Reef’ exhibit comes to Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota

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SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota unveiled its new “Mystery Reef” exhibit on Saturday.

The exhibit, included in regular admission, takes guests through the world of Florida’s coral reefs with activities such as a scavenger hunt, puzzle blocks, and an air maze.

“Conservation of coral reefs isn’t just about protecting a beautiful ecosystem; it’s about safeguarding the very foundation of marine biodiversity and our planet’s health,” said Dr. Michael Crosby, Mote President & CEO. “By continually researching and sharing information on coral reefs, we illuminate the path toward their preservation, ensuring the intricate balance of life within our oceans for generations to come.”

Mote said the exhibit allows guests to become “coral detectives for a day,” able to investigate what are the primary suspects that cause harm to reefs. These suspects, personifications of threats to the health of the reefs, are:

• Sickly Sal– Coral Disease
  • Coral diseases, often occurring in response to environmental stressors, cause massive reef decomposition.
• Captain Conquerer– Invasive Species
  • Invasive species are organisms introduced to an environment where they are not native, quickly adapting and reproducing. Due to a lack of natural predators, they overwhelm and dominate the environment. The red lionfish, a nonindigenous, venomous fish, exemplifies an invasive species harming Florida’s coral reefs.
• Corrosive Carl– Ocean Acidification
  • Ocean acidification occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere is absorbed into the ocean, lowering the pH. Rising ocean acidification is associated with negative effects, including damaging coral reefs and disturbing calcifying organisms’ shell and skeleton growth.
• Miss Match– Coral Parents Incapable of Pairing Up
  • Corals must be close in proximity to fertilize after spawning. As ocean health declines, healthy coral parents become rarer, producing fewer healthy corals.
• Hot-Headed Hector – Rising Ocean Temperatures
  • As oceans absorb excess heat from greenhouse gases, water temperatures rise. Increased ocean temperatures may induce coral bleaching (loss of coral pigmentation), disruption of fish breeding grounds, intensified hurricanes, and sea-level rise.

The exhibit focuses on solutions to these problems, allowing guests to “whack-a-lionfish,” simulate spawning coral in the air maze, and use puzzle pieces to build a healthy reef, according to Mote.

“At Mystery Reef, we aim to empower visitors to become stewards of the ocean,” said Samantha Bledstein, Exhibit Manager at Mote. “By engaging with this interactive exhibit, guests not only gain insight into the challenges facing Florida’s reefs but also discover how we can work together to protect them.”

The exhibit is paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax revenues.

Mote and the exhibit are open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.