In the mid-1990s I lived in Orlando and worked part-time for ... All at once, we saw manatees. They were swimming around us, resting on the sandy bottom, and the young were nursing with their ...

Floridians love manatees. The marine animals, lovingly known as "sea cows" or "gentle giants," spend the winters swimming in rivers, bays, canals, estuaries and coastal areas from Nov. 15 to March 31.

They're hosting a family-friendly ManateeFest on Feb. 1. "Manatees are such a special species that we have in our waters here in Florida, because they are a sentinel species, which means that they ...