Florida manatees move among freshwater rivers, brackish estuaries, and coastal saltwater ecosystems for mating, breeding, birthing, and feeding, but they need warm water to survive. When Gulf of Mexico water temperatures drop below 68°F (20°C), they leave their usual feeding grounds to seek warmer water because, despite their large size, they have little fat to keep their bodies warm and are vulnerable to cold stress. Many in Southwest Florida gather at Manatee Park during cold spells, where the warm-water discharge canal from the Florida Power & Light Plant provides refuge from the cold. During extreme temperature drops, they usually stay near a warm-water source and, during breaks in the weather, travel to nearby feeding areas, although no food is available in the discharge canal and some may go days without feeding when cold weather persists. In summer, when ocean waters are warm, manatees may travel from southern Florida, and those that regularly visit Florida waters in winter have been seen as far west as Texas and as far north as Virginia and New York.

Photo: Sandra Hughes

Buckingham, Florida · USA