Stranded Manatee Found Dead In Dundalk

A dead stranded manatee was found in Dundalk last week, Maryland Department of Natural Resources officials say.

Someone called DNR to report the sighting. The animal was examined by a team of biologists and veterinarians at the Smithsonian Institution. It's just the third case of a dead manatee in Maryland.

“With cooling weather, current Maryland water temperatures are well below a manatee’s minimum survival temperature,” DNR fish and wildlife veterinarian Cindy P. Driscoll said in a statement. “We are still analyzing samples taken during the necropsy examination, which will be analyzed over the next few weeks. Until that time the cause of death remains undetermined.”

Manatees are usually found in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, but in recent years, they've been seen in waters as far west as Texas and as far north as Massachusetts. The first live manatee sighting in Maryland was in 1994 along the upper eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. That manatee, nicknamed "Chessie," was captured in Queenstown and taken to Florida for release.

Officials ask anyone who sees uncommon marine mammals and wildlife like manatees, dolphins or sea turtles to report those sightings to 800-628-9944.