How many of you have a Veggie Tales song in your head right now?  Oh yeah!  Sorry about that.

Here are some pics of the kids and our marina manatees:

The kids standing at the bow of the boat watching the water for the manatees.

One of the two manatees.  Gotta a bit of algae growth happening on her back!

Coming up for a drink. Richard was cleaning the decks of Viatori, using a garden hose attached to the dock to clean things up. The manatees were getting a drink of freshwater from a leak in our hose.

Two big snouts, taking turns at the tap.

The kids watching. The dark haired ones are Raine and Stuart from a neighbor boat.  (Thanks James!)

This guy still had some lunch leftovers in his mouth!

Some facts about manatees:  The Florida manatee is Florida’s state marine mammal. Did you know that manatees are mammals, related to elephants?  They breathe through nostrils because as they are underwater their mouths are busy eating grass and other plant matter.  Their lungs are 2/3 the length of their bodies, so they can hold their breathe for a really long time!  Sadly, almost 800 Florida manatees died last year, which is unfortunate as manatees are important in managing plant growth in the shallow rivers, canals and coastal waters they call home. (Facts from Defenders of Wildlife website)

L