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A seahorse named Frito is on the mend in Florida
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This photo made available by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium shows rescued seahorse "Frito" in a tank at the aquarium, Sunday, June 10, 2018, in Clearwater, Fla. The female seahorse was found tangled in fishing line by a woman snorkeling in the Gulf of Mexico. The aquarium will release the tiny creature back to the Gulf once it makes a full recovery. (Clearwater Marine Aquarium via AP)
A woman snorkeling in the Gulf of Mexico rescued a tiny seahorse that was tangled and trapped in fishing line in a pile of garbage, and now the creature is a webcam star at a Florida aquarium.
The inch-and-a-half (4 centimeter) seahorse was rescued by the snorkeler Sunday. She carefully untangled the line, put it in a water bottle and rushed to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, made famous in the Dolphin Tale movies, about a rescued dolphin without a tail.
The seahorse was given a name—Frito—and placed in a tank. It's brown and does resemble a Frito chip. It's a female, and the aquarium hopes she makes a full recovery so she can return to the Gulf.
Marine experts say fishing line threatens a variety of creatures small and large in the sea.
Frito isn't the only seahorse to be rehabilitated at the aquarium. Cheeto—a bright orange seahorse—was found last year, followed by Funyun.
All three snack-sized seahorses were discovered in the waters off Pinellas County, which is west of the city of Tampa.
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This image from video made available by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium shows a seahorse in a tank at the aquarium, Monday, June 11, 2018, in Clearwater, Fla. The female seahorse named "Frito" , was found tangled in fishing line by a woman snorkeling in the Gulf of Mexico. The aquarium will release the tiny creature back to the Gulf once it makes a full recovery. (Clearwater Marine Aquarium via AP)