Whether you’re kayaking, diving, or relaxing along the shoreline, seeing a manatee is always thrilling! A curious manatee U.S. Geological Survey, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons These gentle giants can always be found off the coast of Florida, but they come even closer in the winter. Between November and March, water temperatures in the Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico can drop below 60 degrees- a little too chilly for our tropical friends. During these colder months, manatees move in towards the coastline and swim up rivers in search of warmer water near springs and power plants. Florida’s manatees have a relatively stable population now, but that wasn’t always the case. The species, formally known as the West Indian manatee ( Trichechus manatus ), came close to extinction in the 1970s. Although at one point there were only a few hundred left, legal protections, habitat restoration, and public education campaigns have led to a huge surge in manatee populations. The species is no lon...