"Snooty" is also an adjective for one who is a snob

Snob

A snob is someone who believes that some people are inherently inferior to him or her for any one of a variety of reasons, including real or supposed intellect, wealth, education, ancestry, taste, beauty, nationality, et cetera. Often, the form of snobbery reflects the snob's personal attributes...

.

Snooty is a Florida Manatee (a sub-species of the West Indian Manatee

West Indian Manatee

The West Indian Manatee is a manatee, and the largest surviving member of the aquatic mammal order Sirenia . The West Indian Manatee, Trichechus manatus, is a species distinct from the Amazonian Manatee, T. inunguis, and the West African Manatee, T. senegalensis...

), that resides at the South Florida Museum

South Florida Museum

The South Florida Museum, located in Bradenton, Florida, is a museum specializing in the natural and cultural history of Florida's gulf coast. It houses exhibits highlighting Florida history from the prehistoric to the present period....

's Parker Manatee Aquarium in Bradenton, Florida

Bradenton, Florida

Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...

. Born at the Miami Aquarium and Tackle Company on July 21, 1948 (age 63), Snooty was one of the first recorded captive manatee births. Snooty is the oldest manatee in captivity, and likely the oldest manatee in the world. Because Snooty is not going to be released into the wild, it is the only manatee at the aquarium that is allowed to interact with human handlers.

According to old-timers, he was first called "Baby Snooks", named after a popular radio character on the The Baby Snooks Show

The Baby Snooks Show

The Baby Snooks Show was an American radio program starring comedienne and Ziegfeld Follies alumna Fanny Brice as a mischievous young girl who was 40 years younger than the actress who played her when she first went on the air. The series began on CBS September 17, 1944, airing on Sunday evenings...

 played by Fanny Brice

Fanny Brice

Fanny Brice was a popular and influential American illustrated song "model," comedienne, singer, theatre and film actress, who made many stage, radio and film appearances and is known as the creator and star of the top-rated radio comedy series, The Baby Snooks Show...

 in the late 1940s. The young calf lived at the Miami Aquarium with Lady, his mother, an injured manatee, for nearly a year, where operator Sam Stout trained both Lady and her calf to do tricks. Lady was later released, but Baby Snooks was donated to Manatee County, Florida. There, due to a translation misinterpretation upon his delivery, his name got altered to "Baby Snoots", likely because of the "snuffling" sounds the calf made with his "snoot" (muzzle). After he was brought to the South Florida Museum for the 1949 De Soto Heritage Festival

De Soto Heritage Festival

The De Soto Heritage Festival is an annual series of events that takes place in Bradenton, Florida, the location of De Soto's landing in Florida in May, 1539. Organized by the Hernando de Soto Historical Society, the event has been held for over 60 years.-External links:*...

, he was housed in a 30,000 gallon round tank at the Bradenton Municipal Pier, also the original home of the South Florida Museum

South Florida Museum

The South Florida Museum, located in Bradenton, Florida, is a museum specializing in the natural and cultural history of Florida's gulf coast. It houses exhibits highlighting Florida history from the prehistoric to the present period....

 and Bradenton's local radio station WTRL (now WWPR). As he got older, the popular manatee's name was changed to Snooty.
In February 1998, as part of the Manatee Rehabilitation Network, Snooty welcomed his first pool-mate “Newton”, to the Parker Manatee Aquarium. Snooty has also shared his pool with Mo, Palma Sola, Desoto Park, Salvador, Angelito, Fort Myers Baby, Passe Grille Baby , Whitaker, Muddy Baron, Little Coral,Baby Coral,Snitch, Baby Sister, Coral Lee and Little Nap. These manatees were rescued for various reasons; rehabilitated at the Parker Manatee Aquarium and released back into the wild in association with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service

United States Fish and Wildlife Service

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...

. The Manatee Rehabilitation Network gives several updates on a some of the released manatees, and is available online at www.wildtracks.org. Bolee, Cayman and Teco 2 are his current tank-mates.

Snooty's ability to remember the voices of former keepers, tricks he learned when only one year old, and his affectionate and friendly nature have helped visitors understand and appreciate the intelligence and unique characteristics of the manatee

Manatee

Manatees are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows...

. Snooty has participated in research in association with the Mote Marine Laboratory

Mote Marine Laboratory

Mote Marine Laboratory is an independent not-for-profit marine research organization based on City Island in Sarasota, FL. The laboratory aims to advance the science of the sea, both through its marine and estuarine research labs and through the public Mote Aquarium and its affiliated educational...

 staff, contributing to our knowledge of manatees. Studies there have disproven the long-standing idea that manatees, having the smallest brain-to-body ratio, were dim-witted: thanks to manatees such as Snooty, Hugh and Buffett (ages 58, 22 and 19 in 2006), neuroscientists and biologists have concluded that manatees are "as adept at experimental tasks as dolphins." In addition to Snooty's contributions to science, he is also the subject of informative talks given several times daily to visitors of all ages, covering everything from eating habits and reproduction to physiology. Snooty's diet consists of romaine lettuce, kale, cabbage, broccoli, carrots and sweet potato.
Snooty's birthday is a popular annual event for the Museum. Each year, several generations of visitors help Snooty celebrate his birthday at a free Birthday Bash and Wildlife Awareness Festival, complete with a birthday card contest, entertainment by local groups like The Garbage-Men

The Garbage-Men

The Garbage-Men is an American musical group of five 10th grade students from Sarasota, Florida. The band was founded in 2010 by students Ollie Gray and Jack Berry. The band promotes recycling, a green eco-friendly message, by playing music on instruments they make from garbage and recycled materials...

, and treats for the kids.

External links

• http://www.southfloridamuseum.org/Aquarium/tabid/90/Default.aspx
• http://www.wildtracks.org