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. The findings are detailed in a study co-authored by University of South Florida anthropologist Thomas Pluckhahn and David Thulman,

Manatees are a bit like the Sunshine State's transplants: they recently moved there, attracted by the warm weather and human development. But the same changes that brought them there could lead to their demise.

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 .

Manatees are iconic and beloved Florida creatures. But they might be relatively new residents of the Sunshine State. Research published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One suggests Florida’s manatee populations were once much smaller than they are today.