Winter in Florida doesn’t bring about falling leaves or flurries of snow (usually), but we know for sure that the season has changed when hundreds of the state’s resident manatees congregate in the warm water of the springs.

Blue Spring State Park, located in eastern Florida, is one such site that’s popular with sea cows. Manatee counts are conducted by park staff and volunteer researchers each morning. So far this month, the temperature of the converging St. Johns River has dropped down to 48 degrees Fahrenheit, and park staff has counted up to almost 500 individual manatees in the spring in a single day.

Thanks to the Save the Manatee Club, it doesn’t take a trip to the Sunshine State to view these gentle giants in their natural habitat. Via live webcam, you can get a look at the huddling manatees in real-time from wherever you may be.

Click the following link if you are using a mobile device or are having problems viewing the webcams.

Manatee Webcams at Blue Spring State Park courtesy of Save the Manatee Club. To learn more about responsible manatee viewing and the Club’s work, please visit savethemanatee.org. 

Blue Spring pumps nearly 100 million gallons of water per day from the Floridian aquifer, feeding the St. Johns River.

During “manatee season,” which lasts from mid-November to at least mid-March, hundreds of the marine mammals congregate in the always-73-degree waters of the springs as river temperatures drop.

The park closes the spring and spring run to the public for these months, giving the manatees a warm haven without human disturbance.

Scuba diving is available at the park at all other times of the year.