The conch might be the spirit animal of our island nation (the Conch Republic, with the Key West flag and all), but I think another animal deserves the title. The manatee is a symbol of the Florida Keys in ways that the conch will never be. For one, they’re much more endearing than giant snails. For another, they epitomize the Key West lifestyle: floating around, munching on your favorite foods, maybe grabbing a drink with strangers at the bar once in a while (when you’re feeling social).
The manatee is as Keys as you can get, and no trip to Key West is complete without spotting one or two floating along in the shallow water. Here’s a look at our beloved sea cows, from things you never knew you wanted to know to where you can go to see them when you’re here.
Things to Know About Key West Manatees (But Didn't Know to Ask)
Like any salty seafarer, each manatee has a story to tell!
Manatee History: From Mermaids to Sea Cows
The first thing you need to know is that manatees are not mermaids or cows. Why do we need to clarify this, you ask?
Well, let me tell you a story. After months of loneliness, stuck at sea and surrounded by no one but other smelly men, sailors of old started getting a little funny in the head. They came to the New World (spoiler alert, it wasn’t new), and they saw mermaids everywhere they looked (spoiler alert, they weren’t mermaids).
Extensive modern studies, using science, have revealed that manatees are nothing at all like mermaids. Many of you may be familiar with the typical appearance of the mermaid, which is a half-fish, half buxom woman. Actually, the woman-half is fully buxom, but that’s not really the point.
The point is that, while manatees do have a large fish-like flipper tail, they completely lack all buxomness. Although generally considered adorable, manatees are best described as giant floating potatoes. Their appearance is more like a super-sized Idaho baking spud, complete with fat wringles and strange protuberances. And their behavior is couch potato-like, if manatees have couches. Scientists are still looking into that.
But how did these poor creatures, once branded as sex symbols, come to be known as sea cows? Well, I can make up at least two theories for that.
First off, their behavior is remarkably bovine. All you have to do is imagine a cow underwater. What would it do? It would float around, munching on grass, and farting. But they’re pretty adorable while doing it.
The other theory may shock some modern sensibilities. Study the history of an island community in depth, and you will quickly see a theme: people will eat anything they can find, especially if it’s a good source of protein and doesn’t put up too much of a struggle. I mean, Key West is famously the Conch Republic, named after the giant snail that islanders loved to eat. So it’s not a stretch to imagine that early settlers had manatee steaks on the menu. Thankfully, these days, we can simply order a real steak from DoorDash.
Manatees Meet Conspiracy Theory Culture
One day, history will record that humans in the 21st century were simple creatures with overactive imaginations, prone to flights of fancy. Perhaps the sources of our multiple hallucinations — fluoridated water, chemicals in airliner contrails, and ultra-processed foods — will finally be exposed by a more enlightened future species.
But the point here is to dispel the conspiracy theory that one particular individual I met at a Florida marina was spouting. To protect his identity from potential persecution, I’ll refer to him simply as Clown. This particular Clown wanted everyone to know that manatees were brought to North America to eat all the sea grass. Why? Apparently, there’s a sea grass problem, but I’m not really sure. Unanswered questions include how they got the manatees here, who moved them, and where the manatees came from to start with. I’m still waiting for the details.
What became evident — after a few more beers — was that Clown had a speedboat, and he didn’t like slowing down for No Wake Zones. Clown thinks No Wake Zones exist only to protect manatees. He wasn’t concerned about hitting other boaters or driving so fast he might lose control; he just wanted to be able to run down manatees.
So, let’s set the record straight, manatees are more authentic Floridians and have been here longer than Clowns in speedboats.
Key West Manatee Facts
Conspiracies aside, here are some good-to-know facts about our friendly Key West manatees.
The manatees in Florida are a subspecies of the West Indian Manatees. The other subspecies, the Antillean Manatee, is found throughout the Caribbean.
They’re majestic creatures whose closest living relatives in the animal kingdom are the elephant and the dugong, a cousin that lives in the Indian and Western Pacific oceans.
Manatees are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, up from endangered, thanks to years of conservation efforts. Current estimates place the total number remaining in Florida at just over 8,000, up from 1,200 when counts began in the early 1990s.
Manatees are also covered by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes touching, feeding, swimming with, or interacting with wild manatees illegal. Check out the FWC’s guide on to see them in a way that’s safe for the manatees.
If you get caught breaking the manatee law, the penalties are no joke. You could be $500 and sent to prison for up to 60 days by the state, and up to $50,000 and one year by the feds!
Manatees love fresh water, and people often give them water from hoses (even though this is also illegal, because it reduces their fear of clowns in speedboats).
Florida manatees face many threats, including poor water quality from red tides and other algae blooms, loss of habitat, entanglement in fishing gear, and boat strikes.
Manatees hate the cold more than Canadians. During the summer, they can be found along the entire US East Coast, extending as far north as Delaware. In the winter months, Florida’s warm water temperatures attracts manatees, where they congregate in areas such as the Keys, power plants, or warm-water springs (places like Crystal River and Blue Springs State Park in North Florida are famous for the gentle giants)
Most manatees you spot will have prop scars, from where they’ve been hit by clowns in speedboats. Manatees are slow moving grazers and float just below the surface, where they’re difficult for even non-clown boaters to see.
These amazing creatures can hold their breath for up to 20 minutes when resting. They sleep 10 to 12 hours a day, floating on the bottom or just below the surface, and can come up for air without fully waking up.
They’re all named Humphrey the Manatee, thanks to an earworm performed by local barstool singer Micah Gardner.
Finding Manatees When You're Visiting Key West
Manatees aren’t hard to find, but to find a manatee, you’ve got to think like a manatee. First off, you’re more likely to see manatees in the Keys during the winter. They’re most active (by manatee standards) in the morning.
Next, remember that manatees like to bask in shallow, warm water, eating salad from seagrass beds. So, you won’t see them out at the coral reef or even out in places like Garden Key and Dry Tortugas National Park; instead, you’ll find them near the land where mangroves provide some protection and food. Marinas and dockside restaurants are a great place to start your search.
They especially like the channels around the islands, like Cow Key Channel, which runs between Key West and Stock Island. The Hurricane Hole Marina, which has an excellent waterfront tiki bar, is a great place to start your manatee search, as is the Cow Key Marina. Another good spot to try is Mac’s Place in Key West Bight. Almost any of the places where you can eat on the water in Key West will work well for spotting manatees.
A good tip is to go to the different waterside restaurants and ask the servers — they usually know where the “regulars” hang out. They even know where to look based on the time of day, tides, and what’s going on for the best chance of manatee sightings. If a manatee hangs around a restaurant, chances are it’s a local celebrity with a name and TikTok channel.
Remember, if you do find a manatee out there, don’t go poking it, swimming with it, feeding it, or giving it water. Firstly, it might follow you home. And if that happens, you’ll have to answer a lot of uncomfortable questions from the FWC. Secondly, it teaches the manatee that humans are good (in reality, they are mostly a bunch of clowns).
See Key West Manatees From the Water
Another excellent way to see sea cows up close is by kayaking or paddleboarding. The best places to kayak also happen to be their favorite hangouts, like mangrove channels and mangrove tunnels, and they won’t be startled by mellow paddlers coming along. Any of the kayak rental outfits or tours that head into the mangroves are a good bet, from Key Largo to Key West.
If you want to cover more ground, consider a backcountry eco-tour or a private sandbar charter. Seeing the wildlife is just one of the reasons that Key West boat rides are some of the best. When we head out on sandbar cruises, it’s easy to find them in the mangrove creeks and grass flats out there. Please let me know if manatee spotting in on your bucket list when you call to book your charter, and we’ll make sure to hit up some of their favorite spots.
Ready to hit the water? Let’s go see some manatees and marine mammals on a sandbar charter in Key West!
