Mating Manatees

On Saturday morning Marine Turtle Specialist, Rick Newman, observed manatees in front of the Boca Beach Club during his morning sea turtle nesting survey. A crowd gathered and many people were concerned that the manatees had beached themselves. However, they were actually mating. Marine Turtle Specialists David Anderson and Cody Mott responded to assist Rick. The turtle specialists kept people from getting too close to the animals and answered any questions about manatees.

The herd of 10-15 manatees consisted of multiple males attempting to mate with a single female. The Turtle Specialists were happy to report that even though many of the manatees had scars from propellers, they were all well healed and all the animals looked like they were in good condition. No identification tags were spotted.

The herd stayed in the surf line until 10:30am when they moved southward towards the Boca Raton Inlet. Park Rangers at Silver Palm Park boat ramp dispatched a warning to all boaters that the herd was near the inlet and to use caution. A Boca Raton Ocean Rescue boat arrived at the inlet just in time to assist in monitoring heavy holiday weekend boat traffic. The manatees swam in through the inlet and were last seen entering Lake Boca.

We would like to remind people that manatees are protected under federal law by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which makes it illegal to harass, hunt, capture or kill any marine mammal. The manatee is also protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978, which states: “It is unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb any manatee.” Not only could interactions with manatees be harmful to the manatee, but due to their large size, they have the potential to hurt a human. We ask that you follow the “Look, but don’t touch” rule when encountering these amazing animals.

If you would like to learn more about manatees please check out the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s website, http://myfwc.com/manatee .
To report an injured, dead, harassed or orphaned Manatee or Sea Turtle
Call:  1-888-404-FWCC (3922)
Cellular phone *FWC or #FWC