"Molly" the manatee is almost, certainly, back.

Or, it's more likely that she never left. For the third time since July 11, a West Indian female manatee has been sighted in Gulf Coast waters off the Texas coastline.

This time, she's been spotted right off the coast near Galveston. On Friday, Texas Parks and Wildlife tweeted, "A manatee was spotted in Galveston Bay. They're not common in Texas, but sometimes make their way here from Florida in the summer. Our winters are too cold for them."

A couple of photos of the sea cow were posted along with the Tweet.

The coastal community has named her "Molly", although experts say they can't be sure that there's only one manatee visiting Texas.

"It is rare to see manatees along the Texas coast," Mark Fisher, an official for Texas Parks and Wildlife, told Chron.com. "Usually the waters are too cold in this area."

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Fisher also said that after looking at submitted photos from onlookers near the animal, that he is almost positive the manatee spotted in Corpus Christi Bay, and the one seen near the jetties at South Padre Island are one in the same.

The first sighting came on July 11, while the second sighting occurred on July 17.

In Corpus, witnesses said they saw her near Shoreline Boulevard. The two most-recent sightings of a manatee in the area was August, July 2014 and in the summer of 2009.

In 2007, an endangered manatee was rescued from Corpus Christi Bay. That animal was thought to be underweight and moving "slower than usual", and stayed in one area with its nostrils poking out of the water at times, previous reports said.

In 1995, an eight-foot-long manatee was named "Selena" after it was rescued from Houston's Buffalo Bayou.

So, why is "Molly" here?

Officials from Texas Parks and Wildlife said that manatees are plant eaters, and normally eat seagrass.

"Galveston doesn't have a lot of compared to the lower coast, but there is a lot of water hyacinth in the bay right now due to all the rain and flooding into the bay, so it could be attracted to the area for that reason."

The organization also said that it does not directly monitor manatees, but it does report sightings when it seems them. In addition, only individual manatee sightings have been reported to this point.

While manatees are considered very shy and almost never interact with humans, boaters in the nearby vicinity are urged to use caution.

Unforunately, "Molly" may be moving on from the Texas coast soon. Fisher said the eventual decreases in water temperature well send her seeking warmer climates.

In other words, get out to to the coast and see this unique manatee now before she heads back to either Mexico or Florida.

Peter Dawson is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | Peter.Dawson@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts