Manatee Webcams

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About the Blue Spring Manatees

Where are the Blue Spring manatees? While the underwater cameras are now live for manatee season (roughly November through March), the manatees on the Blue Spring webcams are wild. When the temperatures are warmer, manatees may venture freely in and out of the spring and return when it gets colder. At night or when the cameras are not working, the feed will switch to a highlights reel. Any people seen in the videos are researchers or other individuals with special permission.

Support for the Manatee Webcams at Blue Spring State Park was made possible by a donation to Save the Manatee Club as a memorial gift in honor of the late Mrs. Norma Norton, a Florida resident who cared deeply for manatees.

Manatee Sighting Blog

By Wayne Hartley & Cora Berchem | December 2, 2024 | Comments Off on Manatee Sighting Blog

It was a very busy day at the park! With the river temperature dropping to 62.2 °F (16.8 °C), I counted 352 manatees. I estimate there were more as they were all moving around, playing, and stirring up the clay, and I was helping fellow researchers with something that distracted me from the count for a little bit.

Anyhow, adoptees Margarito, Nick, and Paddy Doyle made their first season visit today! Other adoptees in were Una, Moo Shoo, Philip, Gator, Aqua, Rocket, Whiskers, and Lily. It is nice to see so many “old-timers” return (including non-adoptees). We are also seeing many, many new calves, which is promising. The wind picked up quite a bit on the way back down from the springhead, not allowing us to linger much for any further IDs. The whole week looks like cold weather!

Read more updates from the season!

About the Homosassa Springs Manatees

During the winter (November–March), the underwater gates at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park are open, and wild manatees will be seen on the webcams as they come to the natural spring to seek refuge from the cold water temperatures. The permanent residents, Ariel and Betsy, as well as any manatees in rehabilitation, will spend the winter in a different area of the park. Please remember that it is illegal to feed wild manatees.

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Meet the Girls of Homosassa!

About the Silver Springs Manatees

This camera shows a section of Silver Springs, located near Ocala in Marion County, FL. Silver Springs is the largest artesian springs complex in the world and was a famous attraction that was especially popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is now a Florida State Park.

Manatees roam the Silver River year-round to forage, socialize, and travel, and oftentimes visit Silver Springs State Park. Manatees reach Silver Springs by traveling from the St. Johns River through the Buckman Lock, the Ocklawaha River, and the Silver River. Manatees seek out the springs during the winter months for the warm water; the spring remains a constant 72 degrees, making it a vital warm-water source for manatees. A healthy spring run or adjacent river will contain the necessary vegetation for them to eat. In addition to manatees, occasionally alligators, turtles, and a variety of fish and birds can be seen on the cameras.

Silver Springs Webcams 180 Smc

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