VIDEO: Manatee drinks water from a hose
Digital Reporter
Thursday, May 1, 2014, 6:08 PM -
Reddit user NerdsyJersey was recently filleting fish by the dock when he received an unexpected visitor.
"Went down to my dock and found a manatee drinking water from a hose that was dripping!" He says on his YouTube page.
"What does this say about our water? I'm guessing they don't exactly like it and would rather drink from a water hose!"
There are three species of manatees, which are also referred to as "sea cows". All are considered endangered.
A recent cold spike in 2010 exacerbated the issue, causing 300 weather-related deaths.
RELATED: Cold shock kills thousands of fish
The good news is that collisions with boats appear to be down, but experts say it's important to improve water quality -- which the manatee in the video above may be hinting at.
While the large, gaping mouth you see here may be terrifying manatees are, in reality, gentle creatures.
In case you're wondering, here's what one looks like in full:
Courtesy: Flickr/USFWS
