A new study suggests manatees weren’t permanent residents in the Sunshine State until around the 20th century, drawn in by a warming climate and construction of power plants

Over the course of his career, study co-author and University of South Florida anthropologist Thomas Pluckhahn realized that there was a lack of evidence showing that there was a large population of manatees in the pre-colonial era. The manatee population in Tampa Bay wasn’t even deemed plentiful until the 1950s .

The paper – co-authored by University of South Florida anthropologist Thomas Pluckhahn and archaeology professor at George Washington University David Thulman – found that in precolonial Florida, manatees likely visited only occasionally as tourists before returning to the coasts of Cuba and the Caribbean islands.

Historic accounts reveal manatee populations increased in the 1800s and 1900s alongside human populations. A new study highlights that Florida manatees are more numerous now than ever before, likely due to improved conservation efforts and environmental changes.

New research suggests that while manatees are an indelible part of Florida's seascape, they might also be relatively new residents in the Sunshine State.