ALABAMA


GEORGIA


ATLANTIC OCEAN


Tallahassee Panama City Jacksonville


UNITED STATES


Gulf of Mexico Kings Bay


Manatees on the Move


The ocean is too cold for Florida manatees in winter. Many fi nd a home in Kings Bay where the water is warmer.


T here’s a welcome sign on the outskirts of


Crystal River that will give you information. Or, you can ask in one of the shops in this small Florida town. Some shops off er snorkeling tours. Others rent kayaks. Or, if you want to watch from dry land, you can head over to the canal west of T ree Sisters Spring. It won’t take long for you to spot a manatee. “It’s like a big rusty oilcan fl oating in the


water,” a man says. He has a point. T e blobby shapes passing under the bridge will never win any wildlife beauty contests. But that doesn’t mean that people don’t fl ock to see these aquatic celebrities. Weighing as much as 1,200 kilograms,


the manatee looks something like a chubby dolphin. Or maybe a small whale. Although it’s related to neither. Actually, manatees share a common ancestor with elephants. T e Florida manatee population is more than 6,000 strong. Many of them live in and around Kings Bay. And there’s a good reason for that.


4 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER Key West The Perfect Home?


Manatees are surprisingly big animals. Yet they lack the blubber, or fat, layer that allows animals, such as whales, to tolerate the cold. In water below 20° Celsius, manatees begin to weaken and die. In summer, the Florida manatee can live in the coastal areas of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. But in winter, when sea temperatures drop, the water gets too cold for them. So they travel inland. T ey gather at natural springs. At Kings Bay, manatees have a near-perfect


winter home. T ere are dozens of warm springs scattered around the bay. Each pumps out fresh water at a constant 22° Celsius year-round. On any given day from November through March, residents see them. Manatees are swimming, playing, and sleeping in full view.


Crystal River Springs


CRYSTAL RIVER Orlando Florida manatee range Tampa FLORIDA Okeechobee Lake West Fort Myers Palm Beach Fort Lauderdale Miami


Year-round Warm-weather months


ATLANTIC OCEAN


Gulf of Mexico


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