Manatees in the wild play

By Josh Lanier From Daily Voice

A rare sighting of a manatee off Cape Cod has locals buzzing, marking the first time the gentle sea creature has been spotted off the Massachusetts coast since 2016.

The manatee was first seen in Popponesset Bay off Mashpee on July 26, then again on July 29 in Mattapoisett. In Mattapoisett, the manatee briefly got stranded on tidal flats, but quick-thinking locals helped it back into the water, ensuring its safety, according to the Cape Cod Times. 

Manatees, known for their large size and gentle nature, usually live in warmer waters like those off Florida and the Gulf Coast, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. While it's uncommon for them to travel so far north, sightings in New England are not unheard of. These creatures often migrate north during the summer months.

Stevie Petrucci, a Mashpee resident, caught a glimpse of the manatee while walking down the dock at his home, he told the Cape Cod Times. 

“I just noticed something very weird and strange-looking that I’d never really seen before, so I walked over. It took my brain, like, three seconds to realize what it was,” Petrucci reporters. “I was like, ‘Holy crap. It’s a manatee. What are you doing up here?'"

This is not the first time a manatee has made headlines in the region. In 2016, a pregnant manatee was rescued off Cape Cod after the water became too cold. Manatees cannot survive in water 68 degrees or below, the wildlife service said. Rescuers captured that manatee and later released it in Florida. 

Watchers spotted a manatee off the coast of Rhode Island in 2023, but it was later found dead.