People in Florida have teamed up to save a number of manatees left stranded after Hurricane Irma suddenly sucked back the tide.

The phenomenon has led to ocean waters disappearing as the storm continued to tear through the region.

It is caused when low air pressure inside the hurricane acts as a vacuum for the surrounding ocean – sucking up water and dumping it as it travels inland, leaving several sea creatures stranded on dry land.

Among those carrying out the rescue missions was Marcelo Clavijo, in Sarasota, who wrote on Facebook: “Getting a lil stir crazy so we went for a ride and went to check the bay at the end of Whitfield.

“The tide was sucking the bay dry which stranded two manatees on the flats so we went for a ride and ended up saving two manatees with a handful of people. Two of the manatees were knee deep in mud right next to us.

“It was a pretty cool experience, we rolled them on the tarp and then dragged them 100yds. It was crazy.”

Images captured in Sarasota Bay in Florida, show the creatures lying beached in the mud as local animal welfare services attempted to free them.

Tony Faradini-Campos said he and his friends went out to look at the receding waters and spotted two oddly-shaped “blobs” on the horizon.

He wrote on Facebook: “The ocean has been sucked up by the hurricane as far as the eye can see!

“This area is usually completely submerged! Can we do something?”

Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Show all 8 1 /8 Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Jennifer Nelson, senior keeper at Zoo Miami, leads a cheetah named Koda to a hurricane resistant structure within the zoo, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017 in Miami. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Ryan Martinez, a trainer at Zoo Miami, places an Eurasion Eagle Owl into a crate AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Flamingos at Zoo Miami, are shown in a temporary enclosure in a hurricane resistant structure within the zoo, (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Brown pelicans and an American white pelican take refuge in a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma at the zoo in Miami REUTERS/Adrees Latif Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami An African crested porcupine is moved into a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma at the zoo in Miami, Florida, REUTERS/Adrees Latif Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami A macaw parrot looks out of it's cage after being put into a shelter REUTERS/Adrees Latif Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami An African grey parrot is moved into a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma REUTERS/Adrees Latif Animals take shelter from Hurricane Irma at Zoo Miami Cheetahs are photographed in a shelter ahead of the downfall of Hurricane Irma at the zoo in Miami, Florida, REUTERS/Adrees Latif

Mr Faradini-Campos’s post was seen by police in Manatee County and the Florida and Wildlife Conservation Commission who went out to rescue them.

He told the Sarasota Herald Tribune: ”We had to do something about it.

“We couldn’t just let those manatees die out there. We shared the pictures on social media and it just blew up.

“I was amazed how many people started sharing the story.”

He said the rescue team had put tarps down under the manatees and used them as a “luge” to slide them back into the water.

“It shows what people can do when they come together. I thought they [the manatees] were done for”, he added. “A lot of situations, rescues, where you say there is an animal in distress in these conditions, and they most likely will say we have to focus on people.”

The storm was still over 100 miles away from Sarasota during the rescue but it was so powerful it could still suck up water from miles around.

Meteorologist Angela Fritz explained the phenomenon in The Washington Post, saying: “In the centre of the storm, where the pressure is lowest and the winds are converging, water piles up.

“Low pressure is basically a sucking mechanism in the sense that it draws the air inward.