Manatees

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is building a $10 million manatee rehabilitation site, which will take about two to three years to complete.

A baby manatee is being cared for at ZooTampa, and zookeepers say she's the smallest rescued orphan calf the facility has ever treated.

Those at one Florida beach had a very close encounter with several of the state's beloved sea cows.

With more than 900 manatee deaths this year in Florida, conservation groups signaled Monday that they plan to file a lawsuit against the federal government. The groups argue that the US Fish and Wildlife Service has violated federal law by not updating designated critical habitat areas to better protect manatees.

The bipartisan Manatee Protection Act would officially upgrade the west Indian manatee from "threatened" to "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act.

With more than 840 manatee deaths reported in the state this year, members of the FWC expressed a need for patience after receiving an outline of efforts to combat a significant decline in water quality, particularly along the state’s East Coast.

When manatees are impacted by red tide, it can cause seizures and paralysis, causing manatees to drown because they can't rise to the surface to breathe, according to ZooTampa.

Next week, Florida Fish and Wildlife officials will discuss the record surge in manatee deaths.

Most manatee deaths in Florida this year are due to starvation, but experts do not want you taking matters into your own hands and feeding them in the wild. It will likely make them dependent on humans for food.

2021 is a little more than halfway over, but it’s already the deadliest year on record for Florida’s manatees.

Swimming with wild manatees is certainly one of the most Florida things you can do. Tour companies at King's Bay in Crystal River make the activity possible year-round.

More manatees have died already this year than in any other year in Florida's recorded history, primarily from starvation due to the loss of seagrass beds. 

The Bishop Museum will showcase upgrades to its Parker Manatee Rehabilitation habitat when it opens to the public Wednesday. They hope the changes help manatees feel more at home.

Four years after federal wildlife officials reclassified manatees from endangered to threatened, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., called Monday for a reversal of the decision.

Low to medium levels of red tide detected in Hillsborough and Pinellas County waters can be dangerous to manatees if they ingest the toxins from the algae.

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium expects its 24-hour hotline for reporting marine mammals in need of help to be busy Memorial Day weekend. 

Researchers are asking people to leave manatees alone after several drone videos showed beachgoers touching, petting and even trying to ride the animals.