Manatee Mating Herd

Photos.

A few years ago when we were here, manatee mating lasted several frantic days. This week, I saw what seemed to be a single animal in the water but by yesterday, several others had arrived.

Yesterday afternoon, several manatees were frolicking out beyond the dock and I took some pictures, mostly from our sixth floor balcony. Mating seems to be a group activity among manatees; I think there were three of them yesterday.

I tried to be discreet: they deserve a little privacy. There is something very endearing about a manatee with its flipper around a companion, and it's always good to know that a beloved marine mammal is reproducing as it should.