Manatee Lagoon Locals
Learn about the local manatees that visit the clean, warm water outflow from the FPL Riviera Beach Next Generation Clean Energy Center. These manatees are known to stop by for a visit during manatee season when the water temperatures drop. Each month we will feature a different manatee and share their story!
Featured Manatee of the Month
Fish:
RB490, Fish, Female
Minimum age estimates this manatee is 38 years old.
She has been sighted with 7 known calves.
"Fish" was first documented as an adult manatee in May 1989 in the Banana River, Brevard County.
She was sighted 3 times that summer in the Banana River, and has been documented subsequently several times in waters near Ft. Pierce and Vero Beach.
She usually arrives at the warm water effluent at Manatee Lagoon by December each winter, and has been sighted there nearly every winter since Dec 1990.
Her nickname "Fish" was assigned because the shape of one of her scars, which resembles the silhouette of a fish.
photos: U.S. Geological Survey, Sirenia Project.
MEET OUR LOCAL MANATEES
Chessie:
Photo by Manatee Lagoon,
USFWS permit MA770191
Chew Choo:
Photo by FWC,
USFWS permit MA773494
Natalie:
Photo by U.S. Geological Survey,
Sirenia Project
FISH:
Photo by U.S. Geological Survey,
Sirenia Project
FOOTPRINT II:
Photo by FWC,
USFWS permit MA773494
ILLUSION:
Photo by FWC,
USFWS permit MA773494
RB587:
Photo by U.S. Geological Survey,
Sirenia Project
RB618:
Photo by FWC,
USFWS permit MA773494
RB621:
Photo by FWC,
USFWS permit MA773494
RB659:
Photo by U.S. Geological Survey,
Sirenia Project
Sunshine:
Photo by U.S. Geological Survey,
Sirenia Project
sweetheart:
Photo by Manatee Lagoon,
USFWS permit MA770191
PHOTO IDENTIFICATION OF MANATEES
“Manatee photo-identification is a non-invasive research technique that uses the unique pattern of scars and mutilations on a manatee's trunk and tail fluke to identify an individual animal over time. In Florida, the scars are primarily a result of encounters with boats; however entanglements in fishing gear, cold stress lesions, and fungal infections also can cause scarring.” FWC Manatee Photo-Identification Program
To learn more about manatee photo-identification, please visit FWC Photo Identification Program.
Children can pretend to be FWC scientists and try their hand at identifying manatees through our self-guided Manatee Rescue Adventure program, offered Saturdays and Sundays in our classroom.
All activities and research were conducted under USFWS permits MA773494 and MA770191.
