Manatees In The Gulf Pic From Navarre Beach Goes Viral

Manatees In The Gulf Pic From Navarre Beach Goes Viral
A recent post from BeBe Booth on the All Things Navarre Beach & Pensacola Beach Facebook page of a beautiful picture of 19 manatees swimming together in the Gulf of Mexico off of Navarre Beach was picked up by the Dauphin Island based Mobile Manatees Stranding Network and received thousands of likes and shares on social media accounts. “While it is unusual to spot such a large group of manatees along the northern Gulf Coast, sightings of manatees have increased in this area in recent years,” the MMSN group posted. “Thanks to sighting reports from citizen scientists we are able to track long-term trends in sighting numbers, locations, group sizes, and more! Remember to report your local manatee sightings to us at manatee.disl.edu or 866-493-5803.’’
“WOOOOOOOWWWW. 19 manatees coming thru the Navarre Pier just now,” Booth wrote in her post. The Florida manatees pictured are a sub-species of the West Indian manatee and have been spotted in coastal waters, rivers and springs from Texas to Massachussets. Manatees rarely travel in such large groups, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website, although groups of manatees can be found gathered together at winter warm-water sites such as Crytal Springs, FL. Female manatees are sometimes followed by as many as dozen males during mating season.