ORANGE CITY, FLORIDA – As the rising sun peeks through the trees along the Blue Spring run on cold winter mornings, park rangers peer down into the water, counting the Florida manatees basking in their version of a hot tub.
On Jan. 21, a prolonged cold snap with temperatures in the 30s had plunged the waters of the adjacent St. Johns River into the 50s. Fleeing the chilly river, herds of sea cows crowded into the warmer waters of the spring run.
Given the clear, glassy conditions and the hundreds of manatees crowded together and floating on top of each other – park rangers suspected a possible record count. They doubled up, having two rangers each count along the run, which meanders four-tenths of a mile from the spring, where the water bursts from an underground cavern, to the river.
Their final tally – 932 – didn’t just set a record. It rocketed past previous records, even the 736 they counted on New Year’s Day. It’s a far cry from the single-day record of 49 manatees celebrated 40 years ago, and more than twice as many manatees as the single day record set just 10 years ago.