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Manatee Migration

Although manatees are large animals, their bodies are composed of little body fat. This is why they need to live in waters with warm temperatures and in warmer climates to survive. To ensure their survival throughout the changing of seasons, the manatees residing in the United States coastal waters will migrate to and from different regions where they can find warmer temperatures.

Why Manatees Migrate
- Manatees migrate because they are unable to survive in water temperatures that are below 68 degrees Fahrenheit for long periods of time. When the weather changes and the waters become cooler in the South, it becomes necessary for the manatees to migrate to warmer weather and water temperatures such as hot springs.
Where Manatees Migrate
- In the summer months when the weather gets hot, manatees can be found on the shorelines of Georgia and South Carolina, and west to Alabama. Rare findings have even documented manatees going as far as Texas or Cape Cod. These animals will travel to more northern and western regions until fall arrives, and then they will head back to Florida.
A Good Sense of Direction
- Manatees migrate to and from the same areas each year, and they travel on passageways that they are familiar with. They find areas that they like for migrating, feeding and for raising calves. Scientists are unaware of how they do it, but the manatees can sense the changing of seasons and where they need to go to find the warmer waters.
Danger for Manatees
- With the population of Florida increasing and the shortage of water, it is becoming harder for the manatees to find warm waters. Instead they are forced to find hot springs and also gather around nuclear power plants to survive. You can sometimes see hundreds of manatees gathered in a single place to stay warm.

Animals & Science