Overview

• New findings indicate that manatees were not abundant in Florida before the colonial era, challenging previous assumptions about their historical population.
• The study, published in PLOS ONE, was co-authored by researchers from the University of South Florida and George Washington University.
• Manatees were likely occasional visitors from the Caribbean, only becoming permanent residents as Florida's waters warmed post-Little Ice Age.
• Archaeological evidence shows a scarcity of manatee bones at pre-colonial sites, suggesting limited presence before the 1700s.
• Despite their current population of 8,350 to 11,730, human-induced climate change and pollution continue to threaten manatees' survival in Florida.