Rare Manatee Twins Spotted in Crystal River

A mother manatee and her twin calves are making a splash in Citrus County’s Crystal River.

It seems the unusual trio has been spotted in the area over the past few days, treating visitors to a very rare sight. Endangered manatees are known to give birth only once every two to five years and have a gestation period of about a year, according to the Save the Manatee Club. Twin births are a real rarity, only occurring in about 2 percent of the cases, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Ivan Vicente says that while twin births are unusual all on their own, actually spotting twins in the wild is even more of a treat.

“That’s because nursing mothers usually isolate themselves in low trafficked areas to keep the calves protected from mainly people,” he explained to ABC Action News.

See Also:

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Florida’s manatee population was estimated at just over 6,000 earlier this year, which technically broke records. Even so, manatees remain protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports on its website. Those acts make it illegal to “harass, hunt, capture or kill any marine mammal.” Florida’s own Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978 makes it “unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass or disturb any manatee.”

Violation of Florida’s law comes with a fine up to $500 and 60 days of jail time. A violation of the federal laws can carry up to a $50,000 fine and/or a year in prison.

Manatees can grow up to more than 13 feet in length and may weigh more than 3,500 pounds, the state reports. They are found throughout Florida’s coastal waters and in its rivers, surviving on a diet that’s plant based.

As for Crystal River’s manatee family, wildlife officials estimate the mother will keep the twins in the area for a few weeks before heading out to coastal waters.

Photo courtesy of Citrus County via ABC Action News