A manatee has been spotted on Cape Cod for the first time since 2016.
It was first seen in Mashpee on July 26, according to MassWildlife protected species program manager Erin Burke. It was seen again on July 29 in Mattapoisett, where it briefly ended up stranded on the tidal flats before people helped get it back into the water.
Stephen Petrucci was on his dock in Mashpee when he spotted the manatee and captured it on video. “I was at the end of the dock and the I looked down and realized what it was after a few seconds,” Petrucci said.
MassWildlife has been in contact with the International Fund for Animal Welfare about potentially rescuing the manatee. Burke said water temperatures will soon dip below what a manatee can handle.
“The reason they’re concerned is because the animal doesn’t look well, it looks a little thin,” Burke said.
Stevie Petrucci 
Manatees typically make their home in the warm waters off Florida and the Gulf Coast and will migrate further north in the summer. It’s uncommon, but not unheard of, for manatees to make their way up to New England, Burke said.
“Right today, this time of year, our waters are warm enough for manatees,” said Brian Sharp from IFAW. “Manatees require very warm water; they need at least 72 degrees.”
This manatee appears to be eight or nine feet long and weighs up to 900 pounds.
A pregnant manatee was rescued on Cape Cod in 2016 as the water turned colder and then released in Florida. In 2023, a manatee was spotted in Quonochontaug Pond in Charlestown, Rhode Island and was later found dead.
Four sightings in Mass. in 17 years
The IFAW said only four manatee sightings have been documented in Massachusetts in the last 17 years. It is working with federal wildlife officials to monitor the manatee.
“We ask that anyone who encounters this manatee or any other marine mammal maintains a safe and respectful distance-at least 150 feet. Do not attempt to feed, touch, or closely approach the animal,” the organization said in a statement. “These actions can be harmful to both the animal and the public, and in some cases are a violation of federal law.”
Anyone who sees the manatee in distress is urged to call the IFAW’s stranding hotline at 508-743-9548.
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