Manatees
Friday, 4th May 2007 by Alex Turnbull
Congregating by this water outlet in West Palm Beach is a whole herd of Florida Manatees, a highly intelligent species of aquatic mammals, also known as Sea Cows.
The water outlet is actually from an adjacent power plant, and Manatees commonly gather in places like this, as the water is artificially heated. This has meant that the Manatess no longer migrate to warmer waters, and have actually become reliant on the heat from the power plants.
You'd think hanging around power plants might not be the safest practice, but actually these manatees are much more threatened by potential collisions with boats - and you can see why, given these ones proximity to the passing traffic.
Thanks: Jim Schomberg.
About the author
Alex has decided that his title will be Senior Vice President of Stuff.
wow….
This is not uncommon in Florida, I’ve been to a similar manatee-loved plant in Tampa.
http://www.tampaelectric.com/manatee/
So tell me, do they do anything to make the plants safer for manatees? I mean, it would make sense to do that, since they spend time there.
the manatees don’t do this year round because it would be too hot for them during the summer and fall. you ususally only see this during the winter and early spring.
you see this a lot in all of the canals in miami where they dead end, because the water is stagnant and is usually warmer.
“So tell me, do they do anything to make the plants safer for manatees? I mean, it would make sense to do that, since they spend time there.”
Actually they are pretty safe there, the warm water is the output not the input.. also with the current potential threats against nuclear power plants a lot are restricting the proximity to boats by fences and such.. not sure what you really mean about making the plants safer… Manatees are threatened much more by boats and propellers then nuclear power plants.. the intake’s have screens that keep most fish from being sucked in let alone manatees, and manatees aren’t really attracted to the input as they are to the warm water output.. the water is used for cooling and that process is what makes the water warm.. there is no radiation etc..
Do manatees come in herds then? Not flocks?
Herds, like cows. Sea-cows.
This is funny because my friends and I had heard about the park that was put up so that you could go see them at the plant. but we went down there only to learn that the park had closed a couple years ago due to security issues.