Current:Home > MarketsHundreds of manatees huddle together for warmth at Three Sisters Springs in Florida: Watch -Capitatum
Hundreds of manatees huddle together for warmth at Three Sisters Springs in Florida: Watch
View
Date:2025-04-15 14:55:43
While the rest of the country may have laughed at Florida for being cold in 50-degree weather, manatees were cozying up to each other to escape the chilly waters.
A video from the Southwest Florida Water Management District posted on Friday shows hundreds of manatees speckling the shoreline of the Three Sisters Springs, located north of Tampa.
That shoreline was recently renovated to restore the habitat, which is critical for manatees seeking the warm waters from the spring, according to a post on the restoration project by the organization.
Three Sisters Springs is part of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, the only national wildlife refuge in the U.S. dedicated to protecting manatees.
Manatees in Florida:Viral video of manatee's living conditions feels like a 'gut punch,' sparks relocation from Florida facility
Why do manatees huddle together?
According to a post by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, aquatic mammals don't get heat from being so close together, but rather they are all trying to fit in the small springs where the water is warmer.
While the beloved sea cows may look cute all crowded together, that means they don't cuddle so much as huddle close to shore.
Manatees, native to Florida, deemed a threatened species
The Florida manatee is a large, gray aquatic mammal native to the region. They typically grow to be nine to 10 feet long and weigh approximately 1,000 pounds.
The Florida manatee was classified as an endangered species before its population reached more than 7,500 and it was reclassified as "threatened," meaning it still could become an endangered species in the near future.
Collisions with boats and loss of habitats that provide warm waters, like the one at Crystal River, threaten the manatee population. Many manatees are also struggling to find food.
"The loss of warm water refuges is seen as a serious long-term threat to the continued existence of the manatee," according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "Due to the inability to regulate their body temperature (thermoregulate) in cold water, cold stress is a serious threat to the manatee."
The big, blobby creatures are plant-eaters, often feeding on seagrass that has earned them the nickname, "sea cows."
Contributing: Jim Waymer, Florida Today
veryGood! (18)
Related
- Everything Simone Biles did at the Paris Olympics was amplified. She thrived in the spotlight
- When do new 'Justified: City Primeval' episodes come out? Cast, schedule, how to watch
- Chinese and Russian officials to join North Korean commemorations of Korean War armistice
- McDonald’s franchise in Louisiana and Texas hired minors to work illegally, Labor Department finds
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Trans man's violent arrest under investigation by Los Angeles sheriff's department
- Arrests after headless body found in Japanese hotel room but man's head still missing
- Ex-Oregon prison nurse convicted of sexually assaulting 9 women in custody
- Video shows dog chewing cellphone battery pack, igniting fire in Oklahoma home
- Risk of fatal heart attack may double in extreme heat with air pollution, study finds
Ranking
- Kansas City Chiefs CEO's Daughter Ava Hunt Hospitalized After Falling Down a Mountain
- Families sue to block Missouri’s ban on gender-affirming health care for kids
- Greece fires force more evacuations from Rhodes and other islands as a new heat wave bears down
- Michael K. Williams’ nephew urges compassion for defendant at sentencing related to actor’s death
- Family of explorer who died in the Titan sub implosion seeks $50M-plus in wrongful death lawsuit
- 'A great man': Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz dies at age 70
- Check Out the Best Men's Deals at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale on Clothing, Grooming, Shoes & More
- Golden Fire in southern Oregon burns dozens of homes and cuts 911 service
Recommendation
Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
Wildfires that killed at least 34 in Algeria are now 80% extinguished, officials say
US heat wave eyes Northeast amid severe storms: Latest forecast
Ex-Oregon prison nurse convicted of sexually assaulting 9 women in custody
Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
Booksellers seek to block Texas book ban on sexual content ratings in federal lawsuit
Autoworker union not giving Biden an easy ride in 2024 as contract talks pick up speed
Ryan Reynolds reboots '80s TV icon Alf with sponsored content shorts