Attack of the Sirenians!

This summer paddlers have been surprised and startled by animals rising from the deep... right here in Shem Creek. These sea monsters are fully-aquatic mammals collectively known as sea cows.

The mammalian order Sirenia has just four species, three being different manatees and the fourth the dugong. The Sirenia is thought to have evolved from four legged land mammals over 60 million years ago, with the closest living relatives being the Proboscidea (elephants) and Hyracoidea (hyraxes).
The name manatee comes from the Spanish manatí, which itself comes from a Carib word meaning "breast." Over the summer months our waters play host to the West Indian Manatee Trichechus manatus. They regionally migrate to keep up with plant food resources, namely various seaweeds, and have been spotted as far north as Boston and Manhattan harbors.
Half a manatee's day is spent sleeping in the water, surfacing for air regularly at intervals no greater than 20 minutes. They can been seen regularly here on Shem Creek where many dock owners hang garden hoses over the dock edge to give the manatee a much welcomed source of fresh water. Large tankers in the harbor sight bunches of manatee cruising the harbor and the researchers at Fort Johnson often see manatee in their dock basin.
The manatee are an amazing sighting for anyone, even our naturalist guides who have been known to go absolutely crazy when spotting a group of manatee. Join us for a Shem Creek expedition and do the manatee dance ahead of time!