Manatee

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Help us find, study, and protect these wide-ranging animals! For more information on this study please visit our project page .

Report manatee sightings 24 hours a day:

Please give as much of the following information as possible:

Date and time of sighting (military time 24 hr clock)
Location of sighting with as much detail as possible, including an associated street address, waterway name, and (if possible) GPS coordinates
Name and phone number or e-mail address of reporting party
Number of animals and approximate size
Any distinguishing marks, scars (these details are important because manatees can be identified by scar patterns)
What they were doing (swimming, floating, foraging; improve your sighting by using standard behavior codes)
How they were spotted (from boat, dock, etc.)
Please send a photograph/.jpg, if one was taken (but don't get too close to the manatees).

All Reports to DISL's Manatee Sighting Network will automatically be reported to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in Daphne, AL.

Manatees need plenty of space. Please do not do anything to alter their natural behavior, entice, scare, or "harass" them.
The best rule of thumb is to stay at least 100 feet from manatees.
If you spot one, don't chase them, feed them, or touch them; give us a call as soon as possible, and we will get to work!