
Manatees can also be found in Sarasota Bay but we didn't see any. They are an endangered species — boats hit the slow-moving sea mammals, they get caught in fishing nets, and fertilizer run-off has been responsible for contaminating the seagrass they consume. According to the the Smithsonian's Ocean Portal site, Christopher Columbus is responsible for the first recorded sighting of the manatees, which he mistook for a mermaid!