The discovery was confirmed by Dr. Stephen Godfrey, Curator of Paleontology at the Calvert Marine Museum. The Paleontology Department, working under the direction of Dr. Cindy Driscoll and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources team, documented the first-ever find of a dead Florida manatee in Maryland waters.

Manatees are warm-water aquatic mammals that feed on sea grasses. From time to time, these gentle creatures migrate north along the inter-coastal waterway during the summer months. This manatee may have been the one that was seen swimming in the Patuxent River last September, but winter water temperatures in Maryland are far too cold for survival. It most likely died of hypothermia. When the Patuxent River waters began to warm, the carcass floated ashore and began to decay rapidly.

In the coming months and years, other Florida manatees will almost certainly migrate north into the Chesapeake Bay. If you see or find a stranded sea turtle or marine mammal (like a dolphin or manatee) please report it immediately to the Stranding Hotline: 1-800-628-9944. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the National Aquarium in Baltimore have teams ready at a moments notice to rescue distressed animals, or contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Chesapeake Bay Field Office at 410-573-4500.

The skeleton will be prepared by the Smithsonian Institution and may eventually be put on display at the Calvert Marine Museum. If you would like additional information about the manatee, please email John Nance, Paleontology Collections Manager, at nancejr@co.cal.md.us.