In a rare sight, a manatee was recently seen off the coast of Massachusetts for the first time in a decade, raising researchers' concerns regarding its safety.
The scientists are interested in monitoring the condition of manatee to see if a rescue is necessary before the rare species succumb to scarcity of food and abnormal water temperatures.
The threatened species are native to warmer southern Gulf waters in places like Florida. They were first seen on July 26 off the southwestern coast of Cape in the area of Nantucket Sound.
Mashpee resident Jennifer Sullivan made a video showing a manatee. She said, “ The manatee is as long and wide as her paddleboard and just lazing around there in the grass going as slowly as possible.”
“It was completely unfazed by us. I am in awe of how graceful the creature was and to be so close in the wild to it,” Jennifer added.
According to Dr. Nadine Lysiak, New England Aquarium Research Scientist, “the species prefers swimming in warmer waters, usually traveling only as far north as Carolinas. If the manatee stays in water that is too cold for too long, it could suffer severe illness or death.”
Manatees are hard to find in New England as being herbivores they sustain themselves on seagrass beds and mangroves not typically present in the country.
“So it is important to intervene as soon as it is sighted again to prevent health declines due to cold waters and lack of food,” Dr. Nadine said.