Our Animal Family

COMMON NAME: Bottlenose Dolphin

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Tursiops Truncatus

PARENTS: Misty / Delphi

BIRTH DATE: December 21st, 1984

DEFINING TRAIT: Dorsal leans to the left/hole in right tail fluke

MY STORY: Aleta is a half sister to Merina, Santini, and Talon. Aleta is a strong-willed lady who enjoys being the center of attention. Mother to two adorable children Delta and Diva, she still works hard to make sure all eyes are on her! She is a creative spirit and those who “do it her way” get screams of praise from her. Aleta’s favorite hobby is to test her trainers. She thrives on deep, meaningful relationships – and has little patience for boring individuals.

NICKNAMES: Aleta Chiquita, Allie-Cat

COMMON NAME: California Sea Lion

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Zalophus californianus

PARENTS: Topaz / Rocco (Sea World FL)

BIRTH DATE: June 19th, 2012

DEFINING TRAIT: Wide set eyes/ large front flippers/Turns silver toned when dry

MY STORY: Diamond is the newest member of DRC’s sea lion family. This little gem was born at Sea World Orlando. Her mom, Topaz, was born there as well, and her dad, Rocco was rescued by Sea World when he was just a pup. Guests will recognize Diamond by her very dark color when she is wet that turns silver when she is dry. She has beautiful, brown, wide set eyes and large front flippers. Diamond enjoys spending time with the rest of our sea lion family. She is particularly close with Lina and the two girls are often seen hanging out together. She enjoys playing with toys and regularly plays with them between sessions.

COMMON NAME: Hyacinth Macaw

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus

BIRTH DATE: April 25, 2000

DEFINING TRAIT: Largest macaw. Beautiful bright blue feathers. Yellow skin around mouth, eyes and feet.

MY STORY: Blue was raised from a hatchling and donated to us after his elderly owner passed away. He is very accustomed to being held by caregivers and is very loving and playful. He has a 200 word vocabulary and loves to tell guests, "I wanna come out now" and "I wanna cracker." He will also say, "Hola, gimme five" and hold up his foot.

NICKNAMES: Bluebird of Happiness; Baby Blue

COMMON NAME: African spurred tortoise.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Geochelone sulcata

DEFINING TRAIT: Larger of the two at DRC. This species is the largest mainland tortoise. They can easily reach 30 inches in length and can weigh more than 100 pounds. Some males even reach upwards of 200 pounds.

LIFESPAN: 80 to 100 years. Age of maturity: About 15 years old. Ziggy's current age is unknown.

MY STORY: Ziggy and Speedy were living at a nearby resort. When new owners took over the establishment, they didn't feel that they could adequately care for the tortoises and asked DRC to adopt them. We built them a special habitat and brought them to their new forever home on February 7, 2022. The tortoises are herbivores who eat lettuce and some other vegetation. They are curious, intelligent reptiles with lively personalities and we look forward to learning more about them - and from them every day.