Florida Manatee Cruising Chesapeake Bay

A Florida manatee is making headlines after it was spotted hanging out in a rather unusual place.

The critter, it seems, decided to swim north and just kept on going. Now, the gentle sea cow is creating quite a stir in Maryland where it’s been spotted swimming in Chesapeake Bay. Unlike Florida residents who are well accustomed to manatee sightings, it seems the folks in Maryland just don’t know what to make of the creature. The National Aquarium, in fact, is asking folks to back off if they spot the manatee, but says photos are fine.

See Also:

• Florida’s Missing Manatee Mystery Continues Times 2
• Snowbird Manatee Grazing in Chesapeake Bay Waters

The endangered marine mammal likely headed north from Florida to graze on the Bay’s sea grasses, a blog post by the National Aquarium explained. Warm summer months prompt the large animals to swim along the East Coast before returning to winter in Florida.

The beefy herbivore – manatees range from 8 to 14 feet in length and can weigh from 440 to 1,300 pounds – was spotted in St. George Creek near Waldorf.

It is unclear at this time of the Chesapeake Bay manatee happens to be one of the two reported missing in Florida. One of the two missing critters is a one-flippered female named Burnie. She was last seen along the west coast of Florida. The other is Stokes, a male, last spotted in the Ortega River.

Patch editor Deb Belt contributed to this story.

Photo of manatee in Chesapeake Bay, courtesy of National Aquarium and Deborah Swann.