Florida sees highest manatee death toll from cold stress in 6 years

Manatees prepare to leave winter habitats in Florida

Florida's giant sea cows are preparing to start their migration back into their usual spring and summer locations after cold winter months.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - As temperatures dropped in January across much of Florida and the East, threatened manatees suffered their highest death toll from cold stress reported in six years.

According to preliminary data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, at least 15 of the mammals died from cold stress during January, with necropsies still pending for several others.

The tally is the largest since 2019, when 21 of the giant sea cows were reported to have perished from cold stress.

According to marine biologists, manatees need access to water warmer than 68 degrees Fahrenheit to survive during the winter months, a requirement that many waterways in North and Central Florida fall below, especially during arctic cold snaps.

"Prolonged exposure to lower water temperatures causes manatees to lose body heat and inadequately digest their food, which can lead to a condition known as "cold stress" that eventually can be fatal," according to the FWC.

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During the past month, Jacksonville officially experienced its 17th coldest January, while Orlando was the 9th coldest it has ever been. 

Widespread temperature departures were between 4 and 6 degrees below typical values, which usually range from the mid-60s to the lower 70s.

The cooler temperatures caused crews from the FWC, local zoos and aquariums and even SeaWorld to be busy with dozens of rescue missions related to what generally has been an uncommon occurrence in recent years.

With the climatological coldest week in winter in the review mirror, the arctic chills are likely a thing of the past, but it does not prevent occasional cold snaps from reaching Florida’s ecosystems.

"When viewing manatees as they congregate at warm-water sites, it is important to give them space. Disturbing manatees at these sites can cause them to swim out of protected areas and into potentially life-threatening cold water. Manatees are a protected species, and it is illegal to harass, feed, disturb or harm them," FWC biologists stated.

January temperature rankings

(FOX Weather)

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Death toll pales in comparison to Florida’s frigid winter of 2009-2010

Despite the chilly start to the year in the Sunshine State, the impacts pale in comparison to the winter of 2009-2010, which brought the coldest period on record to Florida. 

Between Jan. 2-13, much of the state experienced its coldest 12-day stretch ever, with temperatures plunging 15 to 25 degrees below normal.

The prolonged cold snap resulted in the deaths of 151 manatees in January and a total of 282 cold-stress-related deaths for the entire year.

The figure marked the highest number of cold-weather deaths on record, surpassing any previous year since reliable record keeping began in the 1970s.

An FWC report compiled after the spike in deaths indicated that manatees not only suffered from the extreme cold, but several power plants that provide vital warm-water discharges for the population were either down for maintenance or impacted by the arctic chill.

Despite the historic cold weather, the state only reported a total of 766 manatee deaths in 2010, with watercraft, birthing issues and other causes playing a role.

The 2010 tally is not far off from the current five-year average of 793, which has seen a recent uptick primarily due to malnutrition and watercraft collisions.