ORANGE CITY, Fla. — Blue Spring State Park is one of the best places to see manatees, and there were many to check out one January day.
The park set a single-day all-time record of 566 manatees during a daily morning count early last month, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
It's a unique feat, considering the weather and neighboring waterways have been warmer than usual this winter.
"They were all ready to warm up," said Michael Watkins, the park manager. "Usually, depending on how things go, we see 100 to 300 manatees daily."
Manatees typically gather in the warmer, 72-degree water of the spring during the wintertime, trying to escape the cold of the St. Johns River.
The News-Journal reports it isn't known where exactly they all come from, hundreds of miles of away even, but they do know to visit the spring.
"The manatees come here when the water starts to get cool and the temperatures get colder," said Dave Michaelson, a park service specialist.
What other people are reading right now:
- Video shows school resource officer threatening to shoot student trying to leave campus
- Pasco County man accused of dragging dog 100 yards then attacking two people
- Coronavirus outbreak has Tampa Bay couple stuck on cruise ship
- SeaWorld puts end to trainers ‘surfing’ on dolphins
- Here's why Florida Democratic voters might want to wait to mail their primary ballots
- 'Parasite' makes history as first foreign-language film to win best picture Oscar
