Report: Cold snap killed 35 manatees

BRADENTON, Fla.

A report says 35 manatees across Florida have died as a result of cold stress syndrome in January.

The Bradenton Herald reports the deaths between Jan. 1 and Jan. 26 were tallied in a preliminary report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The commission says that was five times as many deaths compared with the same period in 2017. But it doesn’t come close to the 151 manatees that died during a cold snap in January 2010.

Cold stress syndrome can occur when the marine mammals encounter water below 68 degrees Fahrenheit for a prolonged period.