Forget the Groundhog. In the Florida Keys, A Queen Conch Predicts Six More Weeks of "Winter"

FLORIDA KEYS VIDEO ADVISORY    February 2, 2026 

Contacts: Chad Newman, Chad@fla-keys.com (310) 283-8441 or Mary B. Haban, Mary@fla-keys.com (305) 394-3142 

Story: Forget the Groundhog. In the Florida Keys, A Queen Conch Predicts Six More Weeks of "Winter"  

Locator: Marathon, Florida Keys

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Photo Captions Below 

Video: Topside and underwater B-roll of Queen Conch emerging from shell and flipping over, crowd gathered around aquarium tank, sea urchins wearing tiny top hats, special "Mollusk Meteorologist" song from Keys singer/songwriter John Bartus (permission granted to use music for editorial use), SOT with Ben Daughtry (Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters). 

Technical Data:

     TRT: 2:04

     Filename: KeysGroundhogConch.mp4

     Audio: Stereo Mix

     SOTs: Clean / Isolated

     B-Roll: Natural Sound

Credit: Florida Keys News Bureau (Screen credit appreciated, not mandatory) 

NOTE TO EDITORS/PRODUCERS: Conch is pronounced "KONK." 

Forget the Groundhog. In the Florida Keys, A Queen Conch Predicts Six More Weeks of "Winter" 

MARATHON, Florida Keys (February 2, 2026) – Forget the groundhog. In the Florida Keys, it's a giant sea snail calling the shots. 

Crowds converged on Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters Monday morning, as the Queen Conch took center stage for his fourth annual prediction. Would there be six more weeks of winter? Sea urchins rocked their tiny top hats waiting with anticipation. 

And then, the mollusk "Meteorologist" made his grand appearance. Saw his shadow. Flipped over. And just like that, it was settled: six more weeks of winter. 

While Punxsutawney Phil did his thing up north, the Florida Keys’s, "winter" is a whole different vibe. The National Weather Service in Key West says the Florida Keys temperatures average 77-degree days and 67-degree nights; making them among the warmest in the continental U.S. 

"When the conch sees his shadow, it means that we have six more weeks of winter," said Ben Daughtry, president of Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters. "But here in the Florida Keys, we can live with that, because it's typically in the 70s." 

Daughtry explained the reasoning behind the conch’s honorary name: "We call our conch a Mollusk Meteorologist because he's a mollusk and he's predicting the weather. And we think that he predicts the weather right more than most meteorologists." 

The event drew more than 50 people, including local dignitaries and Marathon Mayor Lynny Del Gaizo, all sporting traditional Groundhog Day top hats. The ceremony also featured a performance by local musician John Bartus, who sang his original 'Mollusk Meteorologist' song." 

Up north, a shadow brings the chill. In the Florida Keys, it just means more tourists, warmer temperatures and lots more sunshine.  

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