Meet A Manatee: Troy
Variety is the spice of life for this manatee
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The most recent sighting of Troy was in January of 2001 at Florida Power & Light Company’s Riviera Beach power plant, located in the southeast part of the state.
(Photo by Dean Easton, U.S. Geological Survey, Sirenia Project)
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Many manatees have preferred habitats they return to each year, but it is not uncommon for a manatee to skip a season or two to visit another warm water source in the winter. With Troy, we would have to add “or three, or four, or more.” Once a devoted Blue Spring winter visitor, Troy has apparently gotten the urge for exploration in mid-life.
It wasn’t always this way with Troy. He was first spotted in December of 1978 by researchers at Blue Spring State Park, and from 1978 to 2000, he was known as a Blue Spring regular. During that time, Troy visited the park’s warm spring waters every winter except for one. Almost all of the recorded sightings of Troy have been at Blue Spring and have come from Ranger Wayne Hartley, who has worked on manatee research since his arrival at the park in 1979.
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| A photo of Troy at Blue Spring shows his distinctive triangular-shaped scar pattern.
(Photo by Tom O'Shea, courtesy USGS, Sirenia Project) |
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At some point, however, Troy must have decided he needed a change. According to Cathy Beck, Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Sirenia Project, Troy has been known to travel outside the St. Johns River, which is connected to Blue Spring and is the longest river in the state of Florida. But the St. Johns couldn’t contain him. In August of 1989, Troy was sighted in Cumberland Sound in Georgia. And the most recent sighting of Troy was in January of 2001 at Florida Power & Light Company’s Riviera Beach power plant, located in the southeast part of the state. “I guess Blue Spring came to bore him,” says Ranger Wayne.
Wherever he roams, Troy is easily recognized by manatee researchers because he has three distinctive scar patterns. He has a small hole in his tail that Ranger Wayne says looks like a bullet hole. He also has a slash on his head and a set of triangular-shaped scars running down the left side of his back. All of Troy's scars were caused by collision with a boat’s propeller.
When he does winter at Blue Spring, Troy often arrives late and leaves early. Typically, manatee season runs from November through March, but Troy seems to prefer to set his own schedule. When he is at the park, he usually pops in for about 20 visits, which is fairly normal. He often shows his independent streak, however. One year, a cold snap occurred, which brought several manatees into Blue Spring. Ranger Wayne observed that as all the manatees came into the spring, Troy was headed out!
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| If you look close, you can see the "bullet-shaped" hole in the left side of Troy's tail.
(Photo courtesy Florida Department of Environmental Protection) |
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Troy got his name because he has a playful, friendly, “beach boy” type personality. He has been observed traveling to and from the park with a female manatee at his side, which only adds to his playboy reputation. But, in fact, Troy seems to be equally social with males and females and is seen around other manatees quite a bit. Some of his Blue Spring buddies include Lucille, Phyllis, Brutus, Deep Dent, Nick, Howie, and Lenny.
Although it’s been nine years since Troy visited Blue Spring, we haven’t given up hope. Once he gets the travel bug out of his system, perhaps he’ll be back to visit his old friends at the park. Will it be this winter? Let’s all keep our fingers crossed.
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Troy basks in the warm water effluent at the Florida Power & Light Company power plant in Riviera Beach. Will he visit Blue Spring again in the winter? Stay tuned...
(Photo by Dean Easton, U.S. Geological Survey, Sirenia Project)
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