Super Bowl 2022 Predictions: Mote Marine Lab, Aquarium Manatees Support Cincinnati Bengals

SARASOTA, FL — The resident manatees at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium made their annual Super Bowl predictions Tuesday morning, and both Hugh and Buffett think the Cincinnati Bengals will defeat the Los Angeles Rams during Sunday’s matchup.

In an annual event ahead of each Super Bowl, the manatees decide on their favorite team by choosing between two helmets — one for each of the competing teams — placed in their tank.

Hugh and Buffett announce their game-day predictions “using a lot of the same behaviors that are practiced with them every day,” Sean Stover, communications coordinator at Mote, said during a livestream of the event. (Watch them make their Super Bowl predictions in a video below.)

Buffett, an 1,830-pound manatee, has the best track record with his predictions. Last year, he picked the big game’s winner, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Buffett has actually been very accurate in the past. He’s our football fan. He has a score of 11-2, with 11 right in the past,” Stover said. “This is our 14th year doing this event.”

Hugh, a 1,324-pound manatee, has predicted correctly about half the time — choosing the winner six times and getting it wrong seven times, she said. “Hugh’s score is not as strong as Buffet’s.”

Last year, he supported the Kansas City Chiefs, who lost to the Bucs.

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During Tuesday’s event, Hugh appeared undecided at times, even swimming away from the helmets at one point.

“He’s right in the middle. Obviously, doing these types of things with animals can have their difficulties, as you can see. We’re having a bit of trouble, or he’s having a bit of trouble trying to make a decision it seems,” Stover said. “And Hugh is just swimming away now.”

Ultimately, though, he went with the Bengals.

“It looks like the picks are in, and Buffett and Hugh are both rooting for the Cincinnati Bengals,” she said. “Make sure that you tune in to the big day, the big game, and see if they’re right, and also don’t forget that you can come and see Hugh and Buffett in person at Mote anytime.”

Watch Hugh and Buffett make their choices: