BELMAR, N.J. – A Florida manatee was spotted taking in the sights of the New Jersey shore earlier this week. Experts believe this could be the same manatee that was seen earlier in the summer as far north as Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
The marine mammal was spotted this past Sunday and Monday by several people in the waters around Belmar, and photos of the manatee went viral on social media.
The creature even paid a visit to one family along the Shark River.
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Josh Vallario lives along a private lagoon in the area, when he noticed something strange a couple of feet from his floating dock.
“At first, I thought it was a garbage can in the water — when I realized what it was, I was shocked and extremely excited to show it to my wife and daughters,” Vallario told FOX Weather. “We all got a thrill from watching it and seeing it in our backyard.”
The manatee wasn’t in a hurry to leave either.
“It was hanging out there for over an hour. It was beautiful,” said Vallario.
The manatee is the official state marine mammal of Florida, but it’s not unheard of for these gentle giants to wander this far up the East Coast.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) in Brigantine, New Jersey said it has responded to five manatee strandings since 1978.
Florida’s giant sea cows are preparing to start their migration back into their usual spring and summer locations after cold winter months.
According to the MMSC, manatees will sometimes follow warm water currents up along the East Coast. This becomes a problem when water temperatures drop below 68 degrees, which can cause heart damage, among other physiological stresses to manatees.
For now, the MMSC is monitoring this particular manatee, saying that it doesn’t seem to need their help just yet.
The Center said they believe this could be the same manatee that was spotted earlier this summer in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, as well as in the waters off Rhode Island and Connecticut.
The MMSC is asking people who encounter the creature not to feed it, and respect its space.
Manatees can weigh up to 1,200 pounds and reach 10 feet in length.
