Exhibit with young sea life is Mote's new baby

Oh, baby! The reproductive processes of marine animals sure do result in adorable babies — as Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium proves in its new “Oh Baby! Life Cycles of the Seas” exhibit.

The family-friendly exhibit, on display from Feb. 14 through Sept. 27, showcases more than 40 species of sea animals that have never been on display as babies at the aquarium.

“We do so much reproduction at Mote,” Assistant Vice President Evan Barniskis said. “We were talking, and we figured why not put it all on display and teach people about it.”

The animals on display will be as young as several hours old to adults, but the centerpiece of the exhibit is the display of baby epaulette sharks, which attendees can touch.

“This, I think, will be our most popular piece of the exhibit,” Barniskis said. “Everybody will want to touch them, even if they’re a little scared.”

Other animals displayed include turtles, fish, lobster, shrimp and jellyfish. It’s the first time Mote has displayed epaulette sharks and garden eels.

“The garden eels are beautiful, and we’ve never had them before,” Barniskis said. “I’m most excited about that.”

Also featured is “Who Wants to be a Sea Star?”, an interactive game show that’s one of the first of its kind at a Mote exhibit. The game asks questions about sea life and animals to up to four participants.

“We decided we needed some digital interactive exhibits, and this game show is our first foray into it,” Stacy Alexander, assistant vice president for community relations and communications, said. “It tests your sea smarts to learn about animal life and has questions about habitats, reproduction and many other things. I’m excited to see how people perceive that.”

“Oh Baby!” teaches visitors about ocean animal “romance,” reproduction and survival challenges new generations face.

“One of the things central to Mote is learning about reproduction and reproductive issues,” Assistant Vice President of Education Aly Busse said. “It’s an important part of the ecosystem, and education about reproduction is important as well.”

“Oh Baby!” is open during the aquarium’s regular hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The exhibit is included with regular admission.