Florida manatees don’t do cold. Can you blame them?
All the temperature has to do is dip down in the 40s and I break out a fleece jacket, socks, big wool scarf and knit hat.
Florida manatees forego the fleece and warm up by heading in herds for warmer water – like the warm discharge waters around Tampa Electric.
Florida manatees gather near warm water discharge
Hundreds of people flock daily to see the manatees gathered during winter months in the shallow waters at Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center.
Tampa Electric knows they have a winter winner and they’ve built on it. They are open from Nov. 1 through April 15. Admission is free. Long boardwalks lead up to water discharge viewing areas.
Florida manatees gather at Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing area and so people come to see them
A station on the boardwalk features an interpreter showing a manatee skull and finger bones. He explains that manatees are related to elephants and yes they have nails like elephants and us.
Along the railing people stand shoulder to shoulder, eying the manatees in the water below. Cameras, phones and ipads click away. Videos whirl. The sound of many different languages suggests there people visiting from around the world. Some may be seeing manatees for the first time. Exciting!
Of course if you want a souvenir they’ve thought of that too. A shop has all things manatee including a T shirt with would could be the perfect manatee motto:
“Stay calm and swim slow”
Florida manatees have two enemies
A few manatees bear scar marks on their back made by boat propellers. Manatees have two enemies – humans (driving boats over them) and red tide. These gentle giants are plant eaters, non- aggressive, easy going, peaceful members of the Sirenia family. Florida manatees, a sub-species of West Indian Manatees, have been around for millions of years. They are true natives. We are the newcomers.
Newcomers, visitors and residents have another good winter viewing area for Florida manatees – Blue Spring State Park in Orange City. Clear water makes for breathtaking views when herds of manatees are chilling out, or you could say, warming up, in the spring water.
On the East Coast the Manatee Observation and Viewing Center in Fort Pierce offers education, tours, trips and the chance to observe Florida manatees when the “sea cows” (a nickname) are visiting the area. A $1 admission is required. See their Web page (above) for year round hours.
For guaranteed year-round Florida manatee viewing visit Ellie Schillar Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. Captive manatees that can’t be released back into the wild are fed several times a day – can you say photo op? A gate keeps them in the spring area but also allows fish to swim in and out.
Feeding Florida manatees at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
Also the Fish Bowl has underwater viewing ports. See not only manatees going by but also schools of fish that come into the springs from the Gulf of Mexico.
To get really up close, as in looking through a glass wall, visit Hugh and Buffet, the manatees at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota. Admission is $19.75 ages 13 and over, $18.75 ages 65 and over, $14.75 ages three and over, under the age of three admitted free.
Visit the Mote manatees then wander around and learn about sea turtles, sharks, otters, jellyfish – many experiences here.
Notice that none of my suggestions include swimming with manatees. A canoe trip is fine but think of this image – you’re having dinner, a plate full of water hyacinths, your favorite, when scuba divers and snorkelers suddenly appear, touching you, taking pictures, just generally stressing all the manatees at the table. Please keep your Florida manatee viewing from a dry place. Let the manatees stay wet and relaxed.
Like manatees? You’ll love Lucy’s children’s book Mary Margaret Manatee: the adventures of a young Florida manatee, for ages 4 through 10, available on Amazon
Lucy Beebe Tobias is both the author and illustrator of her first children’s book.
More to Explore
You are invited inside Florida’s Historic Homes