Last week I had the pleasure of being invited to spend an afternoon at Discovery Cove to explore the newly opened Freshwater Oasis. The latest addition to SeaWorld’s boutique park includes face-to-face encounters with playful otters and curious marmosets. Unlike other areas of the park, this section is designed to be waded through more than swam through. There’s also a nice ‘water lounge’ area with benches set into a shallow water area.
Here Vice President Stewart Clark introduces us to what the park has to offer, along with two of its residents:
A few fun facts on the Otters and Marmosets:
Asian small-clawed otters
- The smallest of all otters, the Asian-small clawed otter weighs between two and eleven pounds. Native to Southeast Asia – in areas from Indonesia, to China, to India – these playful animals can be found in the most scenic of surroundings in Freshwater Oasis.
- Wade past rocks and trees to encounter the thriving, lush habitat of the Asian small-clawed otter. Watch as these active mammals romp and play their way through their naturalistic environment, and swim figure-eight’s around tree stumps.
Marmosets
- Marmoset monkeys are native to the rainforest and upper canopies of South America. If they can’t be spotted up in the tip-top of the trees, these highly-active animals can be heard communicating through a variety of unique sounds including whistles, squeaks, clicks, and trills. Only weighing a pound when fully grown, marmosets are unique animals to take in.
- Swim through waist-deep water to the center of Freshwater Oasis, or view from a scenic pathway, an island abundant with life. There will be no glass separating guests from the marmoset monkeys that call the idyllic island home. Look and listen as these agile animals leap from tree to tree, and watch in wonder as they run upside-down on the branches.
Freshwater Oasis is included with your admission to Discovery Cove along with the lazy river that goes through the aviary and the inspiring Grand Reef. The other nice thing is that Discovery Cove hasn’t increased capacity of the park, so although there’s a new area to explore you’re still only sharing the park with no more than 1200 other guests. That makes for a very intimate experience.