Adopt-A-Manatee®

Fossil remains of manatee ancestors show they have inhabited Florida for about 45 million years. Modern manatees have been in Florida for over one million years (probably with intermittent absences during the Ice Ages). The present Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is a subspecies endemic (or “native”) to Florida. Genetic studies indicate that it is not derived from the populations in Mexico or Central America but more likely colonized Florida from the Greater Antilles thousands of years ago, after the last Ice Age. Having inhabited these waters far longer than modern civilizations, manatees in Florida today have every right to be considered Florida natives.

We have to keep in mind that the adoptive manatees are wild animals with individual behavior. Some manatees come late and leave early and, occasionally, certain manatees will skip a season and winter at another warm-water area.

Since we have a limited number manatees in the Adopt-A-Manatee program, you will be one of many people who are an adoptive “parent” of the manatee you choose. However, the money from the Adopt-A-Manatee program goes toward increasing public awareness and education; sponsoring research, rescue, rehabilitation, and release efforts; advocating for strong protection measures, such as boat speed zones and sanctuaries; taking legal action when appropriate; and supporting rescue, rehabilitation, research, and education efforts in the Wider Caribbean, South America, and West Africa in order to protect all manatees and their aquatic habitat.

For more information on the manatee adoption program, visit the Adopt-A-Manatee® page.

We do not track the adoptees in our program. Tracking is typically reserved for manatees that have been recently released so researchers can monitor their adjustment to the wild.