Florida manatees are iconic for the Sunshine State. They're on license plates, they're the focus of major conservation and management initiatives, and they delight residents and ecotourists who are lucky enough to watch these 1,000-pound-plus mammals from a safe distance in the wild. Mote's Manatee Research Program has studied wild manatees for decades, and their efforts are just as interesting as the animals they study. In this episode, hosts Joe and Hayley talk to Mote Senior Biologist Sheri Barton about how she and her colleagues recognize individual manatees in the wild, monitor them from boats and shore, count manatees from the air, study the habitats used by these threatened mammals, and more.