Rare Manatee Twins Spotted Near Siesta Key

SARASOTA, FL — A manatee well-known to residents who frequent waters around Sarasota and Fort Myers has given birth in the wild to a rare set of twins.

“Tomo-Bella” and her newborn twins were spotted in Grand Canal along Siesta Key on April 15, according to Sarasota’s Mote Marine Laboratory. Karl Nelson shot video of the unusual sighting and sent it to Mote scientists.

It didn’t take Mote’s scientists long to positively identify the mother as Tomo-Bella. After all, the creature is well known to them and is a local celebrity of sorts.

“Mote scientists first observed Tomo-Bella in 1993 in Pansy Bayou near Lido Key,” Mote explained in an email to media Tuesday announcing the discovery. “Since then, they have observed her 230 times in many parts of Sarasota Bay, along with Fort Myers during winter.”

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Tomo-Bella is an experienced mother, Mote noted. Her first observed calf was documented way back in 1995. Since then, she’s given birth to seven others, including the twins.

“We’re excited to see that Tomo-Bella is contributing to the manatee population, and it’s interesting to see twins from a female whose history we know so well,” Jennifer Johnson, staff biologist with Mote’s Manatee Research Program, said in a statement.

It is estimated that only 1.4 to 4 percent of all manatee births involve twins. While Mote scientists say healthy manatee mothers can support twins readily, little is known about how twin calves fare in the wild. Tomo-Bella’s recent double delivery may help change that.

Tomo-Bella’s name might be familiar to residents who have been in the area for a while. She happens to be the manatee that grabbed headlines back in 2012 when she was rescued from the Grand Canal by Mote and staff from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Tomo-Bella was traveling with an earlier-born calf at the time and captured rescuers’ attention because she had a wound on her head and was behaving oddly.

“She and her calf were rehabilitated at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, and Tomo-Bella was found to have toxins from Florida red tide in her blood,” Mote said. “In September 2012, mom and calf were released after successful rehabilitation.”

The mother and baby were released back into the wild from a ramp at Ken Thompson Park on City Island in Sarasota.

Residents who spot a manatee with twin calves in Sarasota Bay or surrounding waters are asked to help Mote keep tabs on the discoveries. Emails about sightings can be sent to info@mote.org with “manatee twins” in the subject line. Mote scientists ask those who spot manatee twins to shoot photos or video to include in their emails and to also log the date and time of the sighting and the location, GPS coordinates if available, are especially helpful.

Florida’s manatee population remains heavily protected by state and federal agencies. FWC estimated the state’s population at 6,250 following an aerial count conducted earlier this year. As the state’s number of manatee rise, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering downgrading the species from endangered to threatened.

People who spot stranded or dead dolphin, manatees, sea turtles or whales in Florida waters are asked to call the FWC Wildlife Alert hotline at 1-888-404-3922. Sightings of distressed or dead dolphin, whales or sea turtles in Manatee or Sarasota county waters may also be phoned into Mote’s Stranding Investigations program 24 hours a day by calling 941-988-0212.

Residents who spot distressed or dead

Within Sarasota or Manatee county waters, if you see a stranded or dead dolphin, whale or sea turtle, please call Mote's Stranding Investigations Program, a 24-hour response program, at (941) 988-0212.

If you see a stranded or dead manatee anywhere in state waters or a stranded or dead dolphin, whale or sea turtle outside of Sarasota or Manatee counties, please call the FWC Wildlife Alert hotline at 1 (888) 404-FWCC (3922).

To find out more about Mote Marine Laboratory, visit it online.

Photo of Tomo-Bella and her twins courtesy of Mote Marine Laboratory: Credit Karl Nelson

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