Recently winter storms covered much of the United States and that includes southern states like Florida. That polar vortex is also lowering coastal temperatures even further south and,at the Florida Power & Light Company's Riviera Beach plant, manatees are now gathering to keep warm.
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00:00Recently, winter storms covered much of the United States, and that includes southern
00:08ones like Florida.
00:09Northern parts of the Sunshine State are expected to see extreme lows for the area, with a possibility
00:14of sub-freezing temperatures.
00:16That polar vortex is also lowering the temperature of coastal areas even further south, and at
00:21the Florida Power and Light Company's Riviera Beach plant, manatees are now gathering to
00:26keep warm.
00:27This plant has been a popular destination for the massive sea cows for years, as the
00:30heat released by the plant provides warm bathing for the 1,200-pound creatures.
00:35Cold stress is the biggest natural threat to manatees, which is why they can often be
00:38seen gathering near power plants between November and March.
00:41During those months, the waters surrounding Florida are at their coolest.
00:45The best part is experts say the water is clean, and completely safe for animals to
00:49live in.
00:50Rachel Shanker, Manatee Lagoon Education Manager, says, it's important to watch manatees
00:54for more than just entertainment.
00:55Telling U.S. News and World Report, they're kind of the first animals to start to respond
00:59to any changes in the environment, and because they're so charismatic, people really take
01:03note of that.
01:04Manatee populations are currently recovering, however experts say they are still a threatened
01:09species.