Manatees on the Move

Highly dependent on warm temperatures to survive, Florida’s estimated 5,000 manatees flee cold waters in winter to congregate at springs and power plant discharge sites. Scores are killed each year in collisions with watercraft, fueling the conflict between conservationists and boaters.

Jerome N. Cookson, NGM Staff; Lou Cross; Tanya Buckingham
Sources: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; USGS