Manatees, live oak trees and peace

The closest modern relative to the manatee is an elephant. These slow moving sea cows have no natural predators. Their biggest harm comes from man - in the form of boat injuries and habitat loss.

The live oak tree at the Manatee Park in Fort Myers- draped with Spanish moss!

Darrell and I drove up to Fort Myers today to see the manatees! The guide told us this cold weather has brought more manatees to Orange River than ever before.

Manatee Park, Fort Myers, FL

An amazing sight! The extreme cold in southwest Florida has caused record number of manatees to seek warmer waters near the power plant in Fort Myers Florida. These "water cows" are warm blooded mammals living in salt water in southern coastal areas. The numbers of manatees seeking this warm water flow generated by the power plant are approaching historic proportions. The deep cuts and scars on their back are from motor boat propellers.