Manatees spotted in Mobile waters

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Manatee sightings are pretty rare in our area, but some residents off Rangeline Road were lucky enough to spot the endangered mammals Tuesday morning.

Tuesday’s sightings have researchers excited.

"There was a group of five or six manatees in the water right under the bridge. We stopped and watched them about an hour," said Nicole Taylor with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.

A passerby spotted the endangered mammals stirring about in Rattlesnake Bayou and took video. It's a little shaky, but it shows several manatees in the waterway. Taylor and Joann Moody with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab were called out to do research.

Moody said, "It’s one of our only marine mammals to come up in our rivers, so that is really special."

Taylor and Moody are part of the Manatee Sighting Network and said these creatures don't just end up here by chance.

Taylor said, "That’s part of our research - why they are coming here. [Are they] looking for food to eat, looking for habitat, looking for a quiet refuge? We found out today maybe they're here to mate."

With just around 5,000 manatees in the country, the sighting comes as good news. For the past two years the group has captured and tagged manatees in Alabama.

The first, named Bama, tagged back in 2009, has re-surfaced.

"One of them was belted with a scar pattern of one of the manatees we tagged in the past," Taylor said. "We’re pretty sure that's our manatee that spent the winter in Crystal River, Fla. and made her way back to Apalachicola, Fla. And it looks like she is right here in Rattlesnake Bayou again."

So far, the research team has processed about 100 manatees, and their busiest season hasn't even started. However, to keep them thriving, it's important to report a sighting.

Moody said these endangered mammals have special qualities. She added,

"They are a marine mammal," she added. "They are so much more like us than a fish. They are so charismatic. We call them charismatic mega-fauna. They are adorable sea cows. That connection ... somebody could look at them and smile."

The recent sighting is keeping these ladies positive about the manatee’s future.

If you spot a manatee, please report it to the Mobile Manatee Sighting Network online at manatee.disl.org or call 1-866-493-5803 or email manatee@disl.org.