The Astonishing and Unforeseen Journey of a Manatee Named Tico That Astounded Researchers

The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) lives in the warm, shallow waters of the Caribbean and South America in general. Also called sea cow, it is the largest surviving mammal of the sirenian species.

Every year, West Indian manatees undertake long migrations depending on the water temperature. Thus, the manatees move to warmer waters to spend the winter.

These are therefore long journeys, but still not as long as that carried out by a manatee nicknamed Tico. A reluctant sea adventurer, Tico has already been saved twice by the AQUASIS marine mammal rehabilitation center.

Tico was first rescued with his brother when he was just a newborn

The first rescue was on October 15, 2014 when he was a newborn. He had been picked up with his brother in Praia das Agulhas in Brazil. The two baby manatees were indeed lost, as summarized by IFLScience in a dedicated article.

The AQUASIS center teams worked on Tico's rehabilitation for almost 8 years before finally being able to release him into the sea. The West Indian manatee was released at Praia de Peroba in the municipality of Icapuí in Brazil on July 6 2022.

The teams had equipped Tico with a radio and GPS beacon in order to follow the manatee's adventures in the wild. However, they did not expect to discover a journey as extraordinary as that experienced by Tico.

The beginning of the misadventures of the West Indian manatee

Everything seemed normal at first. Tico remained near the Brazilian coast for the first few days. However, by the ninth day, data from the beacon revealed that he was already more than 300 kilometers from where he was released. Tico was then 40 kilometers from the coast, which is particularly unusual for a manatee.

Specialists tried to save him, but he eventually returned to shore on his own. This was only the beginning of his adventures. On the twelfth day, Tico found himself trapped in a fishing net. He was then examined and immediately released.

On August 5, 2022, Tico was in the waters of French Guiana. He was more than 2,000 kilometers from where he was released. The specialists from the AQUASIS center then understood that something abnormal was happening. Tico traveled distances too far for a West Indian manatee.

This West Indian manatee has traveled more than 4,000 kilometers

In total, Tico was monitored for 62 days. He traveled more than 4,000 kilometers from Brazil to Venezuela. This is the longest journey ever documented for this species of manatee.

Data from the GPS beacon confirmed that Tico was moving erratically. It was far from fresh water and feeding areas. Due to this unusual route, the teams preferred to recapture it.

“We received an unexpected email from two fishermen near Tobago saying they had spotted a manatee with a tag; we thought it might have been Tico, and we were able to confirm that it was indeed Tico. We were so happy that some of us cried,” recalls Vitor Luz Carvalho, the lead veterinarian of AQUASIS.

Tico had lost 85 kg due to this unusually long and grueling journey.

Tico was captured on the island of La Blanquilla in Venezuela on September 5, 2022. The manatee had lost 85 kg and had a plastic bag in his digestive system. He was therefore urgently transferred to a local aquarium for “the intensive care and rehabilitation he needed”.

In fact, this West Indian manatee was swept away by the powerful North Brazilian Current (NBC). “By studying his journey, we can assume that Tico had a very tiring journey,” says Iury Simoes-Sousa, a physical oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI).

Analysis of the beacon and satellite data indicates that the manatee had to face several violent storms. This explains why his journey was so trying. The AQUASIS center was then able to obtain a license to bring the manatee back to Brazil to continue its rehabilitation and provide additional care.

Source: IFLScience