Red Tide Claims 60 Fla. Manatees
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From Reuters
MIAMI — A toxic red tide has killed at least 60 endangered manatees along the southwest Florida coast in the last two months, the second-largest mass death of sea cows blamed on the deadly algae bloom, state biologists said Thursday.
The deaths, caused by a huge red tide from Venice to Marco Island, represent about 2% of the Florida manatee population.
The Florida manatee, an aquatic mammal about 10 feet in length and 1,000 pounds, has hovered on the edge of extinction for years.
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