Aerial View of Faka Union Canal, Florida

This aerial view shows how Faka Union Canal (visible as a straight channel of water) connects the coastal environment, where manatees feed, to freshwater inlets. The Ten Thousand Islands region in the foreground supports sea grass beds where manatees feed. During cold winter months, manatees can swim up Faka Union Canal to a series of residential canals, where the unique hydrology traps warm water pockets even when surface water temperatures plunge.