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WATCH Cheeto Cam: Rescued seahorse named Cheeto recovering at Florida aquarium

A seahorse, similar to one that was rescued by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, is pictured above. The rescued animal was named Cheeto because it was orange when a little girl and her mom called the aquarium for help, after a seagull dropped Cheeto on the beach.
A seahorse, similar to one that was rescued by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, is pictured above. The rescued animal was named Cheeto because it was orange when a little girl and her mom called the aquarium for help, after a seagull dropped Cheeto on the beach.
By Shelby Lin Erdman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
May 11, 2017

A tiny orange seahorse named Cheeto is one lucky seahorse. It was saved by a little girl after a seagull dropped it on a beach in Clearwater, Florida.

Cheeto, named after the orange snack because the girl thought the gull looked like it had a Cheeto in its beak, was dropped on the beach and in distress until the girl scooped it up and put it in her bucket.

The child brought the seahorse to her mother, and they called the Clearwater Marine Aquarium for help, according to an aquarium press release.

Cheeto is now recovering and is slowly beginning to eat again. The aquarium said it will release the sea creature back into the ocean once it is healthy enough to survive in the wild again.

Seagulls sometimes mistakenly pluck seahorses from the ocean, but usually spit them out because of their bony structure, the aquarium said, but unfortunately, the gulls are not always over water when they drop the tiny horse-like creatures.

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium has also set up a Cheeto cam so fans can monitor her progress. See Cheeto here.

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Shelby Lin Erdman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

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