Beachgoers in Monmouth County found an unlikely friend near the Shark River inlet last weekend. A manatee was spotted swimming in a lagoon Saturday, thousands of miles away from its native habitat.

While confirmed sightings have dried up since Sunday, officials say they're keeping tabs on the rogue traveler — and even have an idea of who this mysterious manatee is. MORE: Improved MLK Drive Bridge to reopen this month after more than two years of repair work

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center has theorized that the animal is the same manatee reported near Cape Cod earlier this summer. That swimmer was the first manatee reported off the Massachusetts peninsula in almost a decade, and it sent New England scientists into high alert . The species, which thrives in the warm climates of

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