Sarasota Bay Manatees Migrate to Manatee Viewing Center
Greetings to you! Because manatees are warm-blooded, they will travel to manmade (power plants) and natural warm Florida springs during cold weather. As a result, manatees in Sarasota Bay are moving up to Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center located in Apollo Beach, Florida to stay warm. Most of the year, Sarasota Bay is the perfect habitat for manatees. However, during cold weather, which is normally November through March manatees will migrate to warmer waters.
Lynne Byrd, Mote Marine Rehabilitation and Medical Care Manager said, “When it starts to get colder, they get cold stressed if they don’t get to a warm water site. That’s why you see all these manatees congregating at power plants and springs because it’s a higher temperature.”
The TECO Power Plant at Apollo Beach “heats water to generate steam, which turns turbines, creating electricity. The steam is then rerouted to a condenser and discharged into a canal that feeds Tampa Bay. In that canal, the water is consistently about 86 degrees.”
“Manatees learn about the warm water bodies when they’re pups, and remember when they’re adults and the water temperature drops. Through history and learning from their moms, they know where to find these warm water sites,” Byrd said. “That’s the whole point of moms, right? They teach these kids for the first two years of their lives where the warm water sites are and where they can go to feed in these seagrass beds.”
The Manatee Viewing Center has become a tourist attraction for manatee lovers. TECO built the Manatee Viewing Center, which includes an observation center, boardwalks over the canal, an online-accessible camera, a cafe and gift shop. And you can find all of our Kobee Manatee® Children’s Educational books in the gift shop!
“It’s really unfortunate when a mom parks her kid and doesn’t come back, and then we get these youngsters that don’t know where the warm water sites are,” Byrd said. “So, when we get them into rehab, that’s part of our mission with that sized animal is to get them in good condition again and then we put them in a warm water site with all these manatees during a cold spell and the thought is they’ll learn from those animals.”
To learn more about the endangered Florida manatee, below is an awesome award-winning Kobee Manatee® book for children…
Synopsis: In late September, Kobee Manatee® is on a twelve-hundred-mile mission to get back home to Florida from Cape Cod, Massachusetts before the impending cold threatens his life. On his southbound journey, he meets two new friends: Tess the seahorse, who loves to learn, and Pablo the hermit crab, who is in search for a new shell. Will Kobee and his friends make it to Florida in time? Children learn all about manatees and their habitat!
We Have Excellent Reviews for Kobee Manatee!
“Children can learn a great deal about manatees and their habitat by reading about Kobee and his friends and their traveling adventure.” – Dr. Katie Tripp, Director of Science and Conservation, Save the Manatee Club
“This luxuriously illustrated, infectiously charming story makes us want to save the manatee and have a plush version to hug.” – Foreword Clarion Reviews
“A swimmingly fun, educational trip sure to be enjoyed by young friends of the manatee.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Kobee Manatee: Heading Home to Florida is a recipient of the prestigious Mom’s Choice Award. The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) evaluates products and services created for parents and educators and is globally recognized for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. Using a rigorous evaluation process, entries are scored on a number of elements including production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality, appeal and cost. Around the world, parents, educators, retailers and members of the media trust the MCA Honoring Excellence seal when selecting quality products and services for families and children.” – Mom’s Choice Awards
If you are in Florida and you see a sick or injured manatee, please call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at: 1-888-404-FWCC. They are the folks who are responsible for rescuing us in Florida.
Here’s the Save the Manatee Club link to learn more about manatees …
Here’s a cool link for you to learn more about how we’re rescued and brought into rehabilitation …
~ Robert Scott Thayer
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