Built in 1999, based on the Everglades, Manatee Springs houses many different species of wildlife from the swamps of Florida. The first section of the building is a greenhouse that simulates the sights and sounds of a freshwater swamp, tropical hammock and coastal wetland mangrove wetlands. The enclosures in the greenhouse are designed to be hidden by the surrounding environment, and are all open-topped to fulfill the natural scenery. American alligators, American crocodiles, and Florida cooter turtles can be observed in a series of water/land exhibits all with an underwater viewing. This includes a bridge constructed over a deep pool where zoo visitors may walk on as an alligator snapping turtle lies directly beneath it. Within the greenhouse are real plants that hang down from every corner, such as live oak, bald cypress, Spanish moss, and sabal palm trees. The next section ventures indoors and features many different areas showcasing a wide and diverse collection of reptiles, amphibians, and fish. The building is darkened to depict the brackish waters manatees live in. Tanks are reserved for Caribbean hermit crabs, and one exhibiting an alligator snapping turtle, catfish, golden shiners, sunfish, and bluegill. The main attraction of the building a large tank with many gars, carp, and the zoo\'s of course, the zoo\'s two manatees. The Cincinnati Zoo is one of only two institutions in America that helps rehabilitate and set manatees free into the wild. The zoo has freed eight manatees, including Illusion, a female who went back to the waters of Florida on November 9, 2011.
