VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — As temperatures across Florida begin to go back up, our sea cows are moving to warmer places.
That's why a Florida state park saw a record number of manatees gather in its waters.
On Sunday, the Blue Spring State Park said in a Facebook post that 932 manatees were counted as they gathered in the water.
A picture included in the post shows dozens of manatees huddling in a certain part of the water.
Blue Spring State Park, which is located about a few dozen miles north of Orlando, said its second most manatee count was 736 – a number recorded on New Year's Day this year.
The manatees gathering to stay warm was critical this past weekend, according to Save the Manatee Club.
The organization told CBS Miami that it was the coldest morning of the season yet and river temperatures reached 58 degrees.
Manatees are gentle, round-tailed giants that weigh as much as 1,200 pounds and can live as long as 65 years. Manatees are Florida’s official state marine mammal but are listed as a threatened species, also facing peril from boat strikes and toxic red tide algae outbreaks along the state’s Gulf coast. Their closest living relative is the elephant.
The starvation problem — something wildlife agencies call an “unusual mortality event” — has been traced to nitrogen, phosphorus and sewage pollution from agriculture, urban runoff and other sources that trigger algae blooms, which in turn kill off the seagrass that manatees and other sea creatures rely upon.
Millions of state and federal dollars are being poured into dozens of projects ranging from stormwater treatment upgrades to filter systems that remove harmful nitrates from water that goes into the Indian River Lagoon, the huge east coast estuary where manatees congregate in winter.
There have been 505 manatee deaths recorded between Jan. 1 and Nov. 24 in 2023. The Florida manatee's overall population is estimated at between 8,350 and 11,730 animals.
Environmental groups are pushing to have the manatee again listed as an endangered species, a higher classification than threatened that provides greater protection.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
