QUICK BITE

Manatee Dines on Backyard Grass in Hurricane Idalia Floodwaters

A woman recorded the encounter in disbelief.

A manatee in Florida took advantage of the floodwaters brought on by Hurricane Idalia to munch on the grass of a woman’s backyard Wednesday morning, a heartwarming moment from a storm that has caused devastation elsewhere in the state. In a video published shared by local outlet WESH, the homeowner recording the encounter watched in disbelief as the manatee, which are also known as a sea cows for their appearance and love of seagrasses, casually swam onto her lawn, ate some grass, and slowly floated back into deeper waters. “He’s eating the grass,” a woman can be heard saying. “Unbelievable.” Manatees are no longer endangered, but the marine mammals are still at risk of becoming endangered again, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission regularly warns. According to WESH, the homeowner recorded the scene in Port Charlotte, Florida, nearly 300 miles south of where Idalia slammed into Keaton Beach on Wednesday morning with winds in excess of 111 mph.