The saying in Florida is "if you see a Manatee, both you and the manatee are lucky." The reason: you would be lucky to see one of Florida's most endangered animals, and the manatee will be lucky simply to exist. These large gray mammals have inspired the legend of mermaids, although their future is uncertain due to human activity.
These mammals once ranged from North Carolina to Texas but now live almost exclusively in Florida. In the winter, they gather in rivers near Sanibel Island and Fort Myers. They need warm water and the gulf is just to cold this time of year. We saw about 40-50 in a canal at the Lee County Manatee Park, in north Fort Myers. Manatees must be near the surface to breathe, but can stay under for 20 minutes. They are much bigger then I thought they would be, measuring 8 to 10 feet in length and weighing up to 2,000 pounds. They eat about 50 to 100 pounds of vegetation a day, acting as underwater lawnmowers and helping to keep the waterways open.
This park also had crabs and sea turtles. We could have stayed there for hours watching.
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