To kick off 2012 and get you excited for the opening of TurtleTrek at SeaWorld Orlando this spring, we wanted to focus on turtles for this week’s Species Spotlight. A one-of-a-kind 3-D/360-degree movie is only part of TurtleTrek’s allure.

Earlier this afternoon, an animal rescue team from SeaWorld Orlando, working with experts from Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Fla., transported a juvenile melon-headed whale from Mote Marine Laboratory’s Dolphin and Whale Hospital to SeaWorld’s Cetacean Rehabilitation Facility where it will receive long-term care.

Fall is in the air, and at Discovery Cove, so are exotic birds. There’s a pleasant variety of beautiful birds at Explorer’s Aviary – one of which is extremely unique. Houston is a white-bellied go-away bird that’s been at the Discovery Cove habitat since the park’s opening in 2000. He may tell you, “G’way”, but he would love to meet you!