Manatees suffering from low temperatures in warm Florida often turn to the warm weather of the state's power plants to rest.
according to Related news agencies Reports of dugongs gathering around Florida Power & Light Company's facility in Riviera Beach The company opened its manatee-focused attraction, Manatee Lagoon, eight years ago, so manatees have found a way to survive the cold weather in the Sunshine State.
Dugongs grow to about 10 feet (3 meters) long and weigh between 800 and 1,200 pounds (363 kilograms and 544 kilograms). They are native to the waters off Florida. which is generally warm weather
But a polar vortex It covered most of the United States last week. And cooler than average temperatures blanketed Florida. This makes the dugong's normally warm home uncomfortably cold, so the sea cows head to the clean, warm waters of the power plant.
“Manatees are a unique species that we have in our waters here in Florida. Because they are a sentinel breed. This means that they are an indicator of water problems that we might have or environmental problems that we might have,” Rachel Shanker, education manager for Manatee Lagoon, told the AP. that began to respond to changes in the environment”
In the past few years Manatees in Florida suffer from mass famine. The serious loss of native seagrass, the species' favorite food, has been caused by algae blooms. Threatened manatees, which were listed as endangered until 2017, have become miserable across the state, and in 2021 the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported a record 1,100 deaths.
The situation is so severe that in 2022 the state turn to use Feed the animals' heads with romaine lettuce. The following year, the conservation group have announced their intentions to sue U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services over the agency's alleged failure to protect dugongs.
“Manatees come here to Manatee Lagoon to get warm water. But we don't have a lot of seagrass in our area,” Shanker told the AP. “And they come here to keep warm. When he gets hungry, he goes out to find those sea grasses. They would eat until they were full, they would catch colds, and they would come back to our warm waters to warm themselves,” according to Shanker. Plants use seawater to cool their plants. But nothing else had changed, that is, it was just warm sea water.
Seagrass populations off the Atlantic coast have recovered since becoming extinct. And the number of dugongs has increased as well. Last year's total dugong death rate (565) was “significantly lower than the average (739) of the past five years,” according to the data. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission–
Populations are still threatened and so is Florida. Not familiar with natural disasters that may affect the habitat of animals But the latest numbers show an increase in dugongs. And that is something to celebrate.