The Save the Manatee club reports only 6,131 manatees are living in Florida as of January 2018. To report a sick or injured manatee you can call 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) or email [email protected].

Manatees are the slow, lumbering, gentle giants of the aquatic ecosystem. ... Manatees have three or four tiny nails at the end of each flipper, similar to an elephant’s toenails.

One of the clearest examples of their relation are the toenails visible on the manatee pectoral fin and the foot of an elephant. Both animals also share tough, gray skin covered in bristly hair.

Several manatees were seen in the Avery Island area a few years ago, Lejeune said. ... They have three or four fingernails on each flipper, resembling an elephant's toenails.