Citrus County Visitors & Convention Bureau and United States Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) officials announced on Monday a rare sighting of manatee twins in the waters of Homosassa Springs in Citrus County. Florida manatees have been listed as an endangered species and only 2 percent of all manatee births result in twins, according to The Tallahassee Democrat.
"In the past 10 years, maybe I've spotted a dozen sets of twins but never once have I seen them in the springs nor have I seen a mother and her calves quite so visible in Homosassa waters," said Ivan Vicente, visitor services specialist for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, according to USA Today.
The Crystal River in Citrus County is approximately two hours away from Orlando and is famous for manatee spotting. Even though winter is the peak season, the river attracts visitors throughout the year. Summer is a very special season because that's when mama manatees stay with their little ones, giving tourists an up-close look at the sea cows in their natural habitat. Visitors can also get in the water and swim with these gentle giants during the winter months.
"Citrus County is the only place in the United States where you can legally get in the water and swim with the manatees in the winter months and words truly can not express how amazing it is to be graced by one of these gentle giants - especially when you see twins swimming alongside Mom," said Adam Thomas, director of the Citrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau, according to The Examiner
Florida manatees are a protected species and there are less than 6,000 of these magnificent creatures in and around the state of Florida.
Mom's manatee with twins. I've been doing this for almost 15 years everyday and never seen a new born twins in the wild
Posted by Gene Parker on Saturday, 11 July 2015
