Current:Home > MarketsHundreds of manatees huddle together for warmth at Three Sisters Springs in Florida: Watch -Excel Money Vision
Hundreds of manatees huddle together for warmth at Three Sisters Springs in Florida: Watch
View
Date:2025-04-18 22:08:52
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! (5811)
Related
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Ignitable cakes, sweatshirts and more. Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift gear flies off store shelves
- Donald Glover Shares He Privately Married Michelle White—Then Went to Work on the Same Day
- Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne offers insight into Mac Jones' struggles, Belichick's future
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Globe breaks heat record for 8th straight month. Golfers get to play in Minnesota’s ‘lost winter’
- Michael Strahan's Daughter Isabella Shares How She's Preparing for Chemo After Brain Cancer Diagnosis
- Taylor Swift may attend the Super Bowl. Is security around Allegiant Stadium ready?
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- Watch this adorable 3-year-old girl bond with a penguin during a game of peekaboo
Ranking
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. teaming up to create a new sports streaming service
- Miami Heat's Haywood Highsmith involved in car crash where others were injured
- Books from Mexico, Netherlands, and Japan bring rewrites of history, teen tales
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Michael Strahan's Daughter Isabella Shares How She's Preparing for Chemo After Brain Cancer Diagnosis
- Blake Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Role Almost Went to Olivia Wilde & Mischa Barton
- Senate fails to advance border deal, with separate vote expected on Ukraine and Israel aid
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
Lionel Messi plays in Tokyo, ending Inter Miami's worldwide tour on high note
North West sings and raps in dad Ye's new video with Ty Dolla $ign
The Spurs held practice at a Miami Beach school. And kids there got a huge surprise
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
Man detained after scaling exterior of massive Sphere venue near the Las Vegas Strip
Crews search for missing Marine Corps helicopter carrying 5 troops from Nevada to California
Henry Cavill says he's 'not a fan' of sex scenes: 'They're overused these days'