Manatees are regular visitors in many of Florida’s waterways, particularly in the winter, when they migrate into Florida’s natural springs to keep warm.
But you can be arrested for touching or attempting to feed a manatee, since they’re protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1973 and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978.
If you live in North Florida and want to get close to one of these underwater herbivores without a kayak (and maybe even watch it eat a head of lettuce), you’ll have to visit the Jacksonville Zoo…