Sports

Manatees Predict Ravens Win Super Bowl XLVII (Video)

Manatees Hugh and Buffett at the Mote Marine Aquarium chose the Baltimore Ravens to win the big game on Sunday.

Everybody has a Super Bowl prediction, and if we have learned anything, it's best to leave up these important decisions to wildlife.

Mote Marine's manatees Hugh and Buffett have been in the prediction business for awhile, and the duo have quite the record recently. 

Buffett has selected the winning team for five years straight. Hugh predicted the winning team three of the last five years. Both probably have better records than some ESPN pundits.

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On Friday, both Buffett and Hugh selected the Baltimore Ravens over the San Francisco 49ers to win Super Bowl XLVII (that's 47 for the Roman numeral impaired).

The manatees were presented with the helmet logos of each team and they swam to the logo of their choice. 

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"They seem to have some 'sense' of how the game will turn out…or maybe they’re just fans of Baltimore," said Joe Gaspard, manatee care and training and research coordinator at Mote in a hilarious statement. "After all, they’re big fans of the Orioles that have spring training here in Sarasota."

Hugh and Buffett's spotlight is also a great time to feature lessons that these sea cows, who have been raised in captivity for life, teach us.

Mainly how an animal with poor vision that can't see fine details has a better chance of selecting a Super Bowl winner than some of those who watch every game of the season.

You know what else manatees can do, according to Mote? They have great hearing over a wide range of frequencies, including boat engine noise and know where it's coming from (it's just that they can't move too fast, so even though they can hear you coming, please slow down your motorboating in Sarasota Bay.)

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The manatees also have a great sense of touch using their whiskers on their puffy cheeks. Maybe they just wanted to know what a raven's feathers feel like.

For those interested sports betting, it's all about odds. Will you take your chance on Hugh and Buffet's picks?

If not, here is a round-up of other Super Bowl predictions made by animals:

Hugh and Buffett are at The Aquarium at Mote daily, which is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 365 days. Hugh and Buffett live in the Ann and Alfred Goldstein Marine Mammal Center, just down the street from the main Aquarium parking lot.


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