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Did you know Florida manatees inspired mermaid legends?
Evidence suggests that explorers sailing around Florida and the Caribbean, including Christopher Columbus, sometimes mistook manatees for mermaids. This fun fact has led many Florida manatee lovers like me to affectionately refer to manatees as chubby mermaids.
Manatees are classified as sirenians, the only completely aquatic mammals that are herbivores. They live in shallow waters grazing on seagrasses and aquatic plants and coming up to breathe every few minutes.
While they have no natural enemies and can live longer than 50 years, Florida manatees are dying at an alarming rate. Manatees face many threats including boat strikes, pollution and habitat loss.
How You Can Help Protect Florida Manatees
We can all play a part in helping to protect our chubby mermaids. Here are a few ways you and your family can help Florida manatees.
Clean up along waterways and shorelines
Pick up litter or discarded fishing line and dispose of it properly. Teach your kids about the importance of keeping the environment clean and model responsible behavior.
Boat responsibly
Obey posted waterway signs and avoid traveling in seagrass or other shallow areas where manatees may be feeding or resting. Look out for manatees and give them space.
To help make it easier to spot them, wear polarized sunglasses. Keep an eye out for visible snouts or manatee “footprints” — large circles on the water that are indicators that manatees are below the surface.
Respect Florida manatees when you encounter them
Seeing a manatee in the wild is always exciting. Enjoy watching them and remember it is illegal to feed, harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, annoy, or molest manatees.
Report injured, orphaned, entangled, distressed or dead Florida manatees to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Call the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.
Support Save the Manatee Club
Manatee adoptions make wonderful gifts for nature-loving kids. Adoptions cost $25 and the funds assist Save the Manatee Club in education, public awareness and advocacy efforts.
When you adopt a manatee through Save the Manatee Club’s Adopt-A-Manatee program, you will receive an adoption certificate with a full-color photo and a biography of a real Florida manatee.
Stay informed about manatee protection issues
Use your voice and vote to support Florida manatees. Sign up for Save the Manatee Club’s email action network to stay in the know and get involved in advocating for manatees.
Get a Florida “Save the Manatee” license plate
You can contribute to Florida manatee conservation by purchasing a Florida “Save the Manatee” specialty license plate at your local tax collector’s office.
New in 2024: Get a waterproof manatee conservation decal from FWC
New, waterproof decals featuring original manatee artwork are released every year in July and are available for a $5 donation at your local tax collector’s office in Florida. Donations for decals go directly to funding manatee research, rescue and management efforts.
The decals are designed to be placed on watercraft and vehicle bumpers, water bottles, coolers and more. Sea turtle conservation decals are also available.
Where can you see manatees in Tampa Bay?
Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center – A Free Place to See Manatees in Tampa Bay
Want to get up close with Florida manatees? When the weather gets chilly in the winter, Tampa Electric’s free Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach, Florida is the place to see manatees in the wild around Tampa Bay.
Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center is also one of the best free things to do in Tampa Bay during the winter. It was even named one of the best free attractions in the U.S. by USA Today 10Best in 2023.
Manatees are very sensitive to the cold and migrate each winter in search of warmer waters in order to survive. Many manatees migrate to Tampa Electric’s Big Bend Power Station discharge canal where the power station sends warm water back into Tampa Bay after cooling its facility.
The power station’s discharge canal is a state and federally designated manatee sanctuary that provides critical protection from the cold for Florida’s beloved chubby mermaids.
Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center is free to visit and open seasonally from November 1 through April 15.
More Places to See Florida Manatees in Tampa Bay
Other places to see Florida manatees around Tampa Bay include:
- ZooTampa’s Manatee Critical Care Center
- Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s New Manatee Rehabilitation Center
- Bishop Museum of Science and Nature’s Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat
- MOTE Marine Laboratory & Aquarium
- Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
- Kings Bay Manatee Refuge, Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge
- Chassahowitzka River
- Weeki Wachee River
Where To See Manatees in North Florida
Wakulla Springs State Park
Near Tallahassee, Wakulla Springs is a haven for chubby mermaids. The river boat tour at this beautiful state park and 6,000-acre wildlife sanctuary gives visitors an up-close look at manatees and other Florida wildlife like alligators and birds.
More Florida Outdoor Adventures
Looking for more outdoor adventures to experience in Florida? Check out our guide to the most amazing Florida adventures to experience beyond the beach.
For recommendations on the best Florida outdoor adventure tours, check out our Adventure-Seeking Mom approved Florida travel experiences on Viator.
Follow along on Instagram for even more Florida adventure inspiration.
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Great read 👏👏👏 Thank you for sharing.