Florida's Aquarium Manatees Predict Different Super Bowl 51 Winner

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium resident manatees Buffett and Hugh have been predicting the winner of the Super Bowl since 2008.

Americans will bet $4.7 billion on Super Bowl 51 between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons, according to an estimate released Tuesday by the American Gaming Association (AGA), marking an 11 percent rise from last year’s Super Bowl

Without analyzing the statistics and gameplay of both the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots, which manatee should you place your bets on?

According to Mote, Buffett has accurately predicted the Super Bowl winner eight of nine times and Hugh has been right five of nine times.

This year, "Buffett knew exactly who he wanted to pick and went straight for the Atlanta Falcons. Hugh was a little undecided, but ultimately chose the New England Patriots," said Kat Boerner, Manatee Research Supervisor, in a press release.

Hugh and Buffett are the world’s most extensively trained manatees, Mote says. The training the facility focuses on revolves around husbandry behaviors, which help facilitate veterinary care, and research.

"By having the manatees trained to go to targets, we are able to maneuver them around the exhibit and ask them for a variety of behaviors," said Boerner.

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A square PVC structure is placed in the manatee exhibit with a photo of the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots, and all Hugh and Buffett had to do was touch one of the two targets.

In Norwalk, Conneticut, a seal at the Maritime Aquarium held her nose against a photo of the Patriots' helmet, taking her pick for the winner. However, do not hold your breaths, the aquarium’s seals so far are zero for five in predicting the winner of the NFL championship game.

Tune in to watch the Super Bowl LI at 6:30 p.m. EST Sunday in Houston, Texas, and to see which manatee, or seal, chose the right winner.

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