MC Hammock, a male manatee, was rescued on March 2, 2014, as an orphan with cold stress.  He was found at Manatee Hammock Campground in Titusville, Brevard County, and was 135 cm long and weighed 104 lbs at the time.  He was brought to Lowry Park Zoo for critical care and has grown to 234 cm long and 700 lbs as of November 30, 2015.  He was released at the Canaveral power plant on January 19, 2016, and will be monitored for one year by Sea To Shore Alliance.

1. 05/11/2016 08:38 AM

   • MC Hammock's tag was recovered in a marina off the Intracoastal Waterway in Daytona.  We are currently trying to locate him for re-tagging.

2. 05/09/2016 11:40 AM

   • Hammock was initially found resting with 3 adults and one calf in a recessed area off the main channel about half a mile north of Rose Bay.  Shortly after arriving the group began to stir and Hammock began traveling northward.  He proceeded down a cut that eventually ran out of water, so he backtracked toward the main channel and headed out to the Intracoastal Waterway.

3. 05/08/2016 11:30 AM

   • Hammock was found traveling west under the Rose Bay bridge.  No other animals were present.  A fisherman slowly passed nearby and Hammock paused temporarily, but continued traveling after the boat passed.  His journey lasted until he reached the far northwest corner of Rose Bay and he milled for the remainder of the visual.  I was able to get a good look at him in the shallows and his dorsal surface still looks good, with no fresh scars evident.  

4. 04/29/2016 11:50 AM

   • MC Hammock was found slowly traveling southbound on the western side of the Tomoka State Park barrier islands along the Intracoastal Waterway.  He was alone and seemed to be looking for some friends as every time he detected the kayak he came over to investigate, at one point traveling with me as the wind pushed the kayak.  He began to slowly wide-circle mill at the opening to two islands before most likely finding another animal, abruptly traveling south at a rapid pace near the end of the visual.  An interesting side note on Hammock:  he has figured out the back route behind Tomoka, thereby avoiding the narrowest portion of the ICW and all the heavy boat traffic that comes with it.  He seems to be doing great. 

5. 04/20/2016 02:10 PM

   • He was seen milling by himself in Halifax River.

6. 04/12/2016 09:30 AM

   • Hammock was located milling in Rose Bay with a mother/calf pair (small calf) and then eventually another large adult joined.  An in-water body condition was conducted and fortunately he was very cooperative, then spun under the swimmer and traveled out with the mother and calf.  Due to the poor water clarity an in-water visual could not be obtained, but his belly was felt, which was flat with no folds, and he appears to be in good body condition.  During the very calm water conditions he was observed throwing his head up out of the water (feeding behavior) along with one of the other animals.  Eventually another animal joined, cavorting occurred, but Hammock did not participate and the mother/calf pair moved off.  The new animal joined Hammock and they both continued to feed throughout the rest of the visual.

7. 04/07/2016 10:45 AM

   • We found MC Hammock bottom-resting in a boat basin just south of the Daytona public marina.  He was sleeping soundly with 13 minute respiration intervals so an in-water body condition was attempted, but he was evasive.  He then started milling through the boats which gave an opportunity to view his dorsal surface.  He has a nice rounded shape and no signs of cold stress.  I also observed at least one bit of gas coming from him, indicating he has been feeding.

8. 04/06/2016 11:45 AM

   • Today he was traveling by himself at a steady clip north in the Intracoastal Waterway south of the Tomoka Marsh preserve.  He did not slow down enough for an attempt at an in-water body condition.

9. 04/03/2016 10:17 AM

   • Hammock was seen milling by himself in Port Orange in the Rose Bay area.

10. 03/30/2016 01:10 PM

    • MC Hammock was initially traveling south in the Tomoka River.  When he stopped I was able to paddle out in a kayak and saw that he had joined forces with a female and small calf.  He closely associated himself with the mom.  Body condition-wise, his nose, face, and back appeared an even dark grey, although he did have one white spot on his forehead which appeared to be a scratch.  Respirations were consistent while sleeping, which he did for the duration of the observation period.

11. 03/26/2016 09:01 AM

    • He was observed traveling south about a mile north of Matanzas Inlet with another large animal.  His face looked good, appearing even and dark grey in color, with sizeable neck rolls of fat seen upon coming up for a breath with a dive. 

12. 03/15/2016 02:30 PM

    • Hammock was found sleeping this afternoon after a long haul up the Intracoastal Waterway this morning, in the Port Orange area south of the 421 bridge.  He was by himself and woke up once, milled around for a few minutes, then settled back in to sleep for the remainder of the observation period. 

13. 03/09/2016 09:45 AM

    • Hammock was observed bottom resting near the northerly discharge pipe at the CCEC power plant in Cocoa.  Respiration rates were consistently 8 minutes while bottom resting. 

14. 03/02/2016 08:50 AM

    • He traveled west from the center of the river toward the power plant outflow and joined about 100 other animals there, socializing in a small group of 3 other animals and pulling his tag under during active interactions. 

15. 02/27/2016 01:00 PM

    • Hammock appeared to be milling and then resting in the southwest corner of the outflow with at least 200 other animals.  Leonard, Carmine, Bernadette, Sheldon, and Squiggy were all nearby. 

16. 02/26/2016 12:47 PM

    • Hammock was in the north central area of the outflow with more than 250 other animals.  Mostly staying put on bottom, presumably keeping warm, but moving around occasionally, closer to the outflow. 

17. 02/21/2016 09:00 AM

    • MC Hammock socialized with Bernadette and a small group of others near the center of the outflow at the Canaveral power plant.  There were about 75 animals there, also including Leonard and Carmine. 

18. 02/17/2016 09:40 AM

    • He was seen near the center of the outflow at the Canaveral plant with at least 250 other animals, staying still on bottom and occasionally milling.  Upon first approach for an in-water body condition assessment he turned and traveled away, then socialized with other animals.  A bit later he tolerated an approach and was found to be in good body condition, with fat around his flippers and peduncle, and a few white spots on his face which we will be keeping an eye on. 

19. 02/15/2016 09:00 AM

    • MC Hammock was observed milling around the outflow area for about 13 minutes.  Bernadette, Abigail, and Carmine were nearby, as well as a small group of others.  He spent the rest of the visual resting near the center of the outflow. 

20. 02/10/2016 12:37 PM

    • He was observed in the outflow area staying still on bottom with regular respirations, presumably keeping warm, with at least 200 other animals.  

21. 02/08/2016 03:35 PM

    • MC Hammock was seen socializing in the outflow area of the Canaveral power plant, pulling his tag under in active social interactions with small groups.  There were about 250 other animals there. 

22. 02/05/2016 02:18 PM

    • He was seen at the power plant outflow with about 200 other animals mostly staying still on bottom, occasionally pulling his tag under and possibly socializing, but this could not be confirmed. 

23. 02/01/2016 11:00 AM

    • He was seen socializing and milling at the center of the outflow area, at times milling further out into the river but still staying in the outflow zone.  There were at least 200 other animals in the area and MC Hammock stayed in a large group with Laverne nearby. 

24. 01/26/2016 11:36 AM

    • MC Hammock was seen on the southern edge of the outflow along with at least 200 other animals including Abigail, Shirley, and Laverne.  He was very active, traveling fast enough at times to pull his tag under, then slowing down to milling.  He socialized as well, appearing to briefly chase females around and at times socialized with Laverne who traveled with him as well. 

25. 01/21/2016 09:35 AM

    • He was seen by Sea To Shore field biologists in the northern area of the outflow about halfway out with more than 250 other animals including Laverne, Shirley, and Abigail.  He stayed calmly on bottom, at times near Shirley. 

Data map is currently not present for MC Hammock.