A manatee swims in a man-made lake in a South Florida neighborhood

• A manatee has been spotted in a man-made lake in South Florida.
• Manatees may move into canals and sewers, especially after a storm.
• Marine biologists believe the manatee should have enough food to survive in the lake.

South Florida residents recently noticed an unusual new neighbor in their man-made lake: a manatee.

Last week, a resident of the Cedarwoods neighborhood in Pembroke Pines filmed the marine mammal swimming, according to WPLG Local 10. A couple also spotted the manatee in late June and they believe it may have had a baby with them.

“This is the first time we’ve seen one on the lake,” Bill Barnett, one of the residents who filmed the sea cow, told the news station.

How did the manatee reach an inland lake?

The artificial lake is located approximately 16 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean.

Looking at a map, it might seem that the manatee has no good route to reach the lake from the shore, but there are underground passages that the map does not show.

Amber Howell, a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, told Business Insider that there are large pipes called culverts under roads.

“The culverts in that area are large enough for the manatee to swim through safely,” she said. There is a floodgate in the area he had to swim through, but it is often open during the rainy season.

This is probably how this manatee ended up in its current location.

Manatees can travel hundreds of miles in search of food

Florida manatees, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, have been struggling to find food for years, with hundreds dying each year. Algal blooms that kill seagrass beds, a major food source for manatees, are partly to blame.

Although they are marine mammals, manatees can survive in fresh, brackish, and salt water. They can also travel great distances in search of food and warm water.

Some Florida manatees roam the oceans of the United States, from Texas to Delaware in the north. However, these mammals also spend a lot of time in freshwater rivers, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Since they prefer shallow waters, they often head inland, like this manatee. Finding food in the lake shouldn’t be too difficult either.

“There’s a lot of riparian vegetation in this area, which they’ll take advantage of,” Howell said.

Experts have observed manatees in the area in recent years, so this large visitor is not entirely unique. “We have absolutely no concerns” about this particular animal, Howell said.

How to Help Your Local or Neighborhood Manatee

People can sometimes be a little overzealous when trying to help manatees, Howell said. They may spot a manatee in shallow water and try to move it deeper.

But sometimes an exhausted female will rest from a neighboring herd during breeding season. “It’s the worst-case scenario to return her to that group,” Howell said.

If Florida residents are concerned about a manatee that appears to be in distress, they can call the Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-3922, Howell said.