The finding could increase the understanding of what’s going on in the sediment below and around seagrass root systems and improve seagrass conservation approaches.
The sightings have several still-unproven explanations, including that degraded habitats on the Florida coast are forcing the animals to move elsewhere in the region.
The manatee deaths are part of a larger trend: around the world, seagrasses are on the decline, mainly because of increasingly clouded waters due to coastal development.
