After a Colonial Heights homeowner spotted a manatee in Appomattox River, Virginia Wildlife officials are frantically searching for the large aquatic mammal in the river.
A day after a Colonial Heights homeowner shared videos and pictures of a manatee spotted in Appomattox, a major tributary of the James River, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has sent an officer to confirm the sighting.
Manatees, residing in the United States are usually spotted in Florida but sometimes swim north if the waters there get too warm. This makes sighting a manatee in Virginia very uncommon but according to Robert Lee Walker, the agency's division outreach director, the sighting is not unheard of. This year's unusually warm weather has been cited as the probable reason why the mammal swam to the waters of Virginia. Progress Index reported that officials confirm this is the first manatee sighting since 2009.
"We would like to alert any boaters on the river to be on the lookout and don't harass the animal. Let it do its own thing," the website quoted Walker as saying.
According to a Washington Post report, once the sighting is confirmed, Walker confirmed that the manatee won't be captured but will be free to go its way. Walker said that the manatee was sure to return to Florida once the waters get cooler.
Sometimes known as sea cows, manatees are extremely large aquatic mammals and can weigh up to 1,300 pounds. Their sizes vary between 8 and 13 ft and they live up to 40 years. Despite their large size, manatees are known to be very graceful swimmers and glide along at 5 miles per hour. However, they are capable of swimming at a speed of 15 miles per hour in short intervals.
The mammal is herbivorous and feeds on marine and freshwater plants. They use squealing as a mean of communication to express excitement, fear and stress.
They are born underwater and are usually spotted alone, in pairs or in groups less than half a dozen in numbers. They seldom leave the water and this is probably why only their nose and nostrils are often the only thing visible on the surface. Like all other mammals, manatees must breathe air at the surface. A resting manatee can remain submerged for up to 15 minutes, but while swimming, it must surface every three or four minutes.
Earlier in June, ABC 7 reported the killing of over 300 Florida manatees this year by the dangerous red tide. Seven manatees were rescued after a team brought the ill manatees to the local zoo, Reuters reported. This year's killings have far exceeded the highest number of Red Tide manatee deaths on record in Florida - 151 in 1996.
