Florida Manatees Making National Waves

Manatees might be Florida’s official state aquatic animal, but it seems their unusual mugs are winning hearts across the country.

Docile sea cows have been making headlines and breaking records at a dizzying pace this summer. One of Florida’s critters has even managed to make a guest appearance in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, creating quite a stir there.

Earlier this month, Bradenton’s own Snooty earned a Guinness World Record for being the oldest manatee in captivity. He turned 67 on Tuesday, July 21. The milestone was celebrated a little early with a community party at the Parker Manatee Aquarium where Snooty has hung his hat for most of his life.

Not be outdone, a mother manatee with rare twin calves made headlines this week after her little family was spotted cruising the Crystal River. Twin manatee births are a rare occurrence with only 2 percent of births involving a pair of calves, wildlife officials say.

See Also:

• Snooty Breaks World Record
• Rare Manatee Twins Spotted in Crystal River
• Florida Manatee Count Breaks Record
• Watch: Spring Breaker ‘Attacked’ by Manatee
• Manatee Comforts Pooch Stranded in River
• Florida Manatee Cruising Chesapeake Bay
• Video: Manatees Take on Paddleboarders
• Florida Manatee Mystery Continues Times 2

Last month, manatee watchers were asked to keep an eye out for two manatees that had been reported missing by the agencies that track them. One of the critters disappeared on Florida’s west coast while the other was last seen munching his way through the Ortega River.

Florida’s manatee population was estimated at just over 6,000 earlier this year, which technically broke records. Even so, manatees remain protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports on its website. Those acts make it illegal to “harass, hunt, capture or kill any marine mammal.” Florida’s own Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978 makes it “unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass or disturb any manatee.”

Violation of Florida’s law comes with a fine up to $500 and 60 days of jail time. A violation of the federal laws can carry up to a $50,000 fine and/or a year in prison.

Manatees can grow up to more than 13 feet in length and may weigh more than 3,500 pounds, the state reports. They are found throughout Florida’s coastal waters and in its rivers, surviving on a diet that’s plant based.

That diet, however, didn’t seem to be believed by a Spring Breaker who encountered one of the gentle giants back in April. A video of her close-encounter-of-the-manatee-kind has gone viral with more than 11 million views on YouTube.

While known to mostly mind their own affairs, manatees have also been caught on film being rather playful. A group of paddleboarders found that out the hard way when they attempted to harass a few of the critters in the waters near Jupiter.

To find out more about Florida’s headline-making manatees, visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission online.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission