Edgar the turtle turns 18

Join Mote Marine for Edgar the sea turtle’s birthday party from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 15 at Mote Aquarium. Guests will watch Mote staff train Edgar and can talk to the trainers who work with her. Guests will also meet Mote mascots Shelley the Sea Turtle and Gilly the Shark, enjoy other family-friendly birthday activities and snack on mini turtle-themed cupcakes provided by Cupcakes a Go-Go (quantities limited).

Edgar, a loggerhead sea turtle with unusually light pigmentation, was rescued by Mote staff as a hatchling in 1992; state wildlife officials decided she could not be released into the wild. Among the reasons is her light color, which can put her at risk for sunburn. But Edgar is well on her way to maturity, which she’ll reach at about age 30.

Edgar’s party will be at Mote Aquarium’s Ann and Alfred Goldstein Marine Mammal Research and Rehabilitation Center, 1703 Ken Thompson Parkway in Sarasota. Admission is free with a Mote Aquarium ticket. In honor of Edgar’s birthday, tickets purchased after 1 p.m., Sept. 15 will be only $5. Normal Mote admission prices are $17 for adults (12 and older), $16 for seniors (65 and older), $12 for children (age 4-12) and free for ages 3 and younger. Mote Members get in free.