A friend and I went to the Museum of South Florida, a picturesque Spanish-style bulding up in Bradenton
to see a photographic exhibition. National Geographic's best photos. Some of then were excellent but elsewhere in the museum was this wonderful sight.
Yes the first time I'd seen a real live manatee, or sea cow. The pair had their own swimming pool with a coastal scene painted on the wall to make them feel at home.
The piled up boxes contain lettuce, which they like to eat, hence all the lettuce leaves floating on the water's surface. Then you can go downstairs and see them swimming under water.
They are truly almost the size of cows, charming and cumbersome and apparently very tame if you can get close to them. In the winter, they like to congregate in warm water, around power plants and such. And are sadly very endangered, suffering constant collisions with power boats and other hazards. I'm all for saving them. Meanwhile you can buy manatee souvenirs in the shop but I was quite taken with these pink flamingo slippers.
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