A young West Indian manatee floats on its back with flippers crossed after dying as the result of a hazardous "red tide" in the murky Intracoastal Waterway along the Gulf of Mexico at Osprey in Sarasota County on the west coast of Florida, USA. A red tide is a higher-than-normal concentration of a microscopic algae that produces toxic chemicals harmful to both marine life and humans. 2018 was an especially deadly year for manatees, sea turtles, dolphins and fish. This aquatic mammal, also known as a sea cow, was temporarily roped to a pier piling until scientists collected the body for study.


A young West Indian manatee floats on its back with flippers crossed after dying as the result of a hazardous "red tide" in the murky Intracoastal Waterway along the Gulf of Mexico at Osprey in Sarasota County on the west coast of Florida, USA. A red tide is a higher-than-normal concentration of a microscopic alga that produces toxic chemicals harmful to both marine life and humans. This aquatic mammal, also known as a sea cow, was temporarily roped to a pier piling until marine scientists collected the body for study. Although red tides have been documented along Florida's Gulf Coast since the 1840s, 2018 was an especially deadly year for manatees, sea turtles, dolphins and thousands of fish of all sizes and species.


Size: 4928px × 3264px
Location: Intracoastal Waterway, Osprey, Sarasota County, Florida, USA
Photo credit: © Michele and Tom Grimm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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