Meet “Isla Bella” the Manatee

The Story of "Isla Bella"

On November 18, 2019, a manatee with a triangle-shaped scar on her right flank arrived at Blue Spring State Park with a calf in tow. Researchers determined that the scar pattern did not match any of the previously identified manatees at the park, assigned the identification number U35/19 indicating that she was 35th new, identifiable manatee recorded by Save the Manatee Club researchers during the 2019-20 season.

Even though this is the first recorded sighting of Isla Bella, there are a few things we already know about her. Manatees reach sexual maturity around five years old, and manatee mothers nurse their young for one to two years. Since Isla Bella’s calf still seemed to be young when the pair appeared at the park, we can estimate that Isla Bella is at least five years old. Some manatees show up at the park once and move on to another warm-water refuge for the winter, however, Isla Bella made several visits over the course of the season. Notably, she appeared with her calf on Save the Manatee Club’s above-water webcam in January and February 2020. We hope she continues this trend in future winter seasons.