CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is welcoming a new rescued resident dolphin named Apollo. 

The 2-year-old dolphin, named after his place of rescue on Florida's Space Coast, was found stranded on Playalinda Beach on May 15, 20 miles from where Winter the Dolphin was rescued in 2005. 

Apollo was transported to SeaWorld Orlando for rehabilitation. Officials say he was thin and had visible parasites on his dorsal fin, pectoral fins, and fluke. 

After nearly seven months of "intensive treatment and rehabilitation," officials said Apollo's health improved and they expected him to make a full recovery and return to his natural environment. However, a hearing test found that the dolphin has atypical hearing loss, compromising his ability to echolocate. 

Clearwater Marine Aquarium was chosen as Apollo's permanent home. Apollo will join dolphins Hope, PJ, Nicholas, and Hemingway at CMA's Ruth & J.O. Stone Dolphin Complex. 

“We are overjoyed to welcome a new family member to CMA,” said Kelly Martin, VP of Zoological Care. “Coming off the heels of Winter’s rescue anniversary on December 11th and her death in November, this new dolphin is a burst of new life and energy that our team is so excited to embrace. December truly is our magical month at CMA.” 

Resident bottlenose dolphins Hope, Nicholas, and rough-toothed dolphin Rudolph were all rescued during the month of December.