With the advent of power plants and other industrial sources of warm water effluent, many manatees began using these discharge basins as winter refuges.
Historically, manatees relied solely on warm water springs and other natural areas for refuge in winter. Prolonged exposure to lower water temperatures causes manatees to lose body heat and inadequately digest their food, which can lead to a condition classified as "cold stress" and eventually can be fatal.
When the water temperatures dip below about 68 o F (20 o C), however, manatees seek out Florida’s warm water areas. In the summer months, manatees are widely dispersed in Florida’s waterways and can even be found on rare occasions as far north as Massachusetts. Manatees are regarded as tropical marine mammals, migrating to warmer waters during the colder months of the year. The water temperature in these refuges must be consistent and reliable in order for manatees to seek out and reuse these sites on an annual basis. Warm water refuges in Florida can come from natural sources, such as freshwater or Sulphur springs, or artificial warm water from power plant/energy center outfalls. Manatees seek out warm water areas whenever the water temperature drops below about 68º F. Manatees are known to consume all species of seagrass found in Florida, including Manatee grass, Turtle grass, Shoal grass, and others. These grass-like plants form small patchy beds that develop into large continuous beds known as seagrass meadows. Because seagrass requires sunlight, most seagrass is found in clear shallow waters. Seagrasses are underwater flowering plants that live in Florida’s protected bays, lagoons, and other shallow coastal waters. Some common freshwater plants manatees are known to eat include Eelgrass and Coontail along with exotic species like Water hyacinth and Hydrilla. Hundreds of plant species inhabit Florida’s freshwater environments, providing an important food source for manatees. These plants not only provide food to Florida’s manatees, but are also an important component of marine and freshwater ecosystems. Manatees are herbivores and feed on a variety of submerged, emergent and floating plants. Florida Youth Conservation Centers Network.Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail.Report injured, orphaned or dead manatees.Report fish kills, wildlife emergencies, sightings, etc.
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