Facebook video shows a man jumping on top of two manatees in Florida

A video posted to Facebook shows a Florida man harassing two manatees by leaping off of a dock and performing a cannonball on top of them.

Harassing, molesting or disturbing manatees is illegal in Florida, where the animals are classified as endangered.

The video begins as the man who is filming points out two manatees who are swimming close to a private dock. One of the animals appears to be a calf.



Harassment: A video posted to Facebook shows a Florida man (right) harassing two manatees by leaping off of a dock and performing a cannonball on top of them

Endangered: The manatees are seen just before the man in the video jumps into the water on top of them. The smaller manatee appears to be a calf



Cruel act: The man's legs are seen as he leaps into the water on top of the sea animals

'Go get 'em, get one,' the man urges.

Another man is then seen taking a running start and jumping into the water right on top of the two manatees, as the man recording the video laughs hysterically.

Fox's Tampa Bay affiliate reports that the two men are both from Brevard County. Authorities have not taken action against them, though Facebook posts have been successfully used in the past to prosecute against animal cruelty.



In February, authorities arrested Ryan William Waterman and charged him with a misdemeanor after he posted a photo to Facebook where he is seen hugging a baby manatee. A tipster had altered authorities to the photo.



The photos were taken at Taylor Creek, near Fort Pierce in southeast Florida in January.

The larger manatee is seen in the lower half of this photograph just after the man jumped into the water on top of the animal

The man is seen swimming back to shore grinning after his deed. Facebook posts like this video have been successfully used in the past to prosecute against animal cruelty

One showed Waterman lifting the baby manatee part way out of the water and hugging it. Others showed his two young daughters petting the manatee, and one of them sitting on the animal.

Wildlife agents said that could have caused severe stress to the manatee calf, which was likely still dependent on its mother. The large, slow-moving animals gather in warm coastal waters and rivers during the winter.