Adopt-a-Manatee® in Partnership with Save the Manatee Club!
Friends of Blue Spring State Park is thrilled to partner with Save the Manatee Club and provide the opportunity to adopt a real living manatee! Symbolically adopt or renew an adoption of a real manatee for yourself or as a gift starting at as little as $25 per year!
Adopt-A-Manatee at any level and get:
A certificate of adoption and a biography of a real Florida manatee.
A membership handbook containing manatee facts, viewing locations and guidelines, and other educational information.
The Manatee Zone, our official quarterly Club newsletter, featuring updates on the adopted manatees and other manatee news.
Other organization and manatee updates by email, including our eNewsletter, Paddle Tales (when an email address is provided).
Choose Your Manatee:
Explore the list of manatees below to learn more about those who call Blue Spring State Park home. No matter which manatee you choose to adopt, adopting one helps them all.
Meet the Manatees of Blue Spring State Park!
Annie was rescued as an orphaned calf and was released in 2008. She is not shy and is quite popular with park visitors. Annie has been known to visit Blue Spring State Park in the winter.
Aqua was first sighted at Blue Spring in December 2011 and has been a regular winter visitor since that time. She is identified by the scars on her left shoulder and has had four known calves.
Brutus is one of Blue Spring’s largest manatees. He weighs in at almost 1,900 pounds and has been a regular winter visitor since 1970.
Deep Dent is a medium-sized male who first showed up at Blue Spring State Park in 1979. He has a deep, “dent-like,” propeller wound on his tail.
Doc has returned to Blue Spring State Park nearly every winter since 1976. He is an adult male, nearly 10 feet in length. Doc is one of the few manatees frequently spotted in the spring in the summer.
Flash is a large male manatee first identified in 1977 at Blue Spring State Park. He is shy of human contact and will take off in a “flash” when disturbed.
Floyd was born in the summer of 1978. He is easily identified by the park’s rangers because of an old injury that left him with only half a tail.
Gator was first identified in 2011 at Blue Spring State Park. He has been spotted on the webcam chasing and playing with an alligator at the park. That’s how he got his name!
Howie is a sleek, large (1,350-pound) male, known to winter at Blue Spring State Park since 1971. One of Howie’s favorite activities is to tip the research canoe — complete with researchers in it!
Lenny was born to Luna in 1978 and continues to winter at Blue Spring State Park each year. Lenny is the resident “couch potato” manatee, preferring rest to all other activities.
Lily is one of the few adult females to regularly winter at the Blue Spring State Park. She has returned each year since 1974 and has at least ten calves.
Lucille was born in 1980. Lucille had her first calf at an early age and, in 1993, she became a grandmother. Lucille regularly winters at Blue Spring State Park.
Margarito is the son of Lily, another Blue Spring manatee. She brought him to Blue Spring State Park on November 24, 1984, and he has returned every winter since that time.
Merlin has been noted at Blue Spring State Park since 1970, when attendance records first began. His nickname is “Tail-End Charlie” as he often arrives late each year. An adult male, Merlin is over 10 feet in length.
Moo Shoo is a female manatee first identified in 2010, Moo Shoo loves to nudge the research canoe. She has had four calves.
Nick is a small adult male who was first identified in 1977 at Blue Spring State Park . His movements have been tracked by radio telemetry, producing information on behavior such as going north, rather than south, in midwinter — hence his nickname, “Crazy Nick."
Paddy Doyle was named by researchers after the famous “fighting Irishman.” He bears the distinction of being one of the feistiest manatees in the Blue Spring State Park area.
Philip was born in the summer of 1982. As a youngster, Philip was one of the most playful manatees at Blue Spring State Park. He also seems to love canoes and follows the research canoe everywhere!
Phyllis is thought to have been born in 1985. In 1991, Phyllis gave birth to twins — a rare event for manatees. She is now the mother of several calves and a regular winter visitor to the park.
Rocket is a male manatee, rescued as a tiny orphan in 2006. He was released with Annie at Blue Spring State Park, and they stayed together for over a year.
Introducing our newest adoptee to the program: ESTER! While Ester has a long family history at Blue Spring State Park, she is new to the Adopt-A-Manatee® program as of January 1st, 2025!
Una was rescued as an orphan in 2003. She was released and gave birth to several calves. Unfortunately, Una was rescued again because of fishing line entanglement on both flippers. Following treatment, she is once again doing well in the wild.
Whiskers is a male manatee who frequents Blue Spring State Park in the winter. He is the son of Dana, a former Blue Spring adoptee. She introduced him to Blue Spring in 1996, and he has been visiting the park ever since that time.
Granddaughter of Emma and daughter of Elaine, Ester is part of a large Blue Spring matriarchy. She has had at least 12 of her own calves.