Manatee Mom Spotted With Her Rare Set Of Twins
Scientists with Mote Marine Laboratory have been following Tomo-Bella the manatee for 23 years.
Tomo-Bella lives in the Sarasota Bay in Florida, and has been spotted by scientists 230 times since they first met her in 1993. During that time they've seen her with eight different babies - and this past month, she gave birth to twins.
One lucky boater just happened to have a camera at the exact right time.
Twins among manatees are extremely rare, and the team at Mote Marine Laboratory is especially excited to see them from a mom whom they already know so well. According to Mote, twins are born just 1.4 to 4 percent of the time among Florida manatees.
As of this year, manatees were declared no longer endangered, and it's exciting to see a mom contributing to that important development.