A manatee milestone: Snooty turning 60 Snooty, the mascot of Manatee County, will soon mark his sixth decade.
I grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida so it was inevitable that at least one school trip a year was dedicated to seeing Snooty. During one particular visit, I actually got the chance to feed Snooty. If I remember correctly, I held the piece of lettuce over the water and waited as the giant shadow of a legless cow made its way across the pool towards me. The first thing to break the water was his beak which, thanks to his whiskers and two huge, winking nostrils, resembled a hairy, gray bowling ball missing a hole. His mouth then, kind of... unfolded in way that made me picture him as a giant, chubby plush toy version of the alien from Predator. It was amazing. That marvel lasted until Snooty's breath hit me. I must have blocked the rest out. Or fainted. Either way, I'm guessing that's why there aren't many manatees in captivity. Anyway, it's cool to see such a fun part of my childhood make the national news. Snooty was even on last night's Oddball...
Happy Birthday, Snooty! (And You Thought His Breath Was Bad) Update: "Best Line" goes to The Herald-Tribune when explaining why Snooty can't have cake:
Given to titanic flatulence in the best of circumstances, all-vegetarian, all-natural, nonfat Snooty would likely not react well to refined sugar and eggs.Heh-heh. "Titanic flatulence".
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