Florida's manatees are addicted to power plants. Scientists are weaning them off
Pollution drove Florida’s manatees from warm springs to power plants. As the state switches to renewable energy, their new manmade homes are disappearing.
The large, grey, barnacled Florida manatees lazily float near the surface of the sheltered canal next to Apollo Beach, on the state’s Gulf Coast.
The water is heated to the perfect temperature for the manatees, who can’t survive in conditions below 20C (68F). The manatees’ natural habitats are the warm water springs found across Florida, where the mammals spend [up to eight hours a day grazing on seagrass](https://myfwc.com/education/wildlife/manatee/facts-and-information/#:~:text=Manatees%20are%20aquatic%20herbivores%20(plant,weight%20in%20aquatic%20vegetation%20daily.).
But these Apollo Beach manatees – also affectionately referred to as “sea cows” – aren’t feeding off the seafloor of aquamarine artesian springs, which are lined with limestone rock and surrounded by Spanish moss-draped trees. Instead, a large coal power plant looms over the creatures, pumping out warm water – an industry by-product.
