During a necropsy on Wednesday morning, researchers from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and the University of South Alabama took photographs that were forwarded to the United States Geological Survey Sirenia Project in Florida, which operates the manatee photo identification database.

Distinctive markings on the manatee’s back and tail allowed researchers to identify the animal, who was first observed in 2004 at the Tampa Electric Company Big Bend Power Plant on Tampa Bay, Florida. The manatee has been observed nearly every winter at the Tampa power plant, until his death in Alabama this year.

The Tampa Bay manatee is one of two manatees that washed up near the Alabama-Florida border this month. Researchers believe the pair was observed together in Grand Bay near Thanksgiving and again in Fowl River during the week of Christmas, but succumbed to cold-stress before completing their migration back to Florida.

“Although manatee losses are always unfortunate, we are grateful to be able to collect valuable data from the carcass and identify the animal”, said Dr. Ruth Carmichael of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. “This identification is particularly important to us because it indicates that manatees from different subpopulations may be coming together in Alabama waters and that manatees may be migrating further to get here.” Please report sightings as soon as possible to MMSN at 1-866-493-5803. Federal law prohibits interfering with manatee behavior in any way. The best rule is to stay at least 100 feet away and report the sighting. This research and the MMSN are funded by the Alabama Division of Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries under Traditional Section 6 of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

If you would like to support this study and other manatee research in Alabama, please commit to purchase a distinctive license plate. For more information visit http://manatee.disl.org.

Note to Editors: Photographs of a manatee necropsy in Orange Beach are included. Photo credit: Joanne Mitchell, DISL

Media Contact: Dr. Ruth Carmichael, Senior Marine Scientist, Dauphin Island Sea Lab Phone: 251-861-7555 or 251-508-7010 (cell), E-mail: rcarmichael@disl.org