• The cuddly-looking manatee is Florida’s state marine mammal.
• Grayish brown in color with thick, wrinkled skin, manatees generally reach 10 to12 feet.
• They weigh 1000 to 1,500 pounds.
• Manatees can live up to 60 years in the wild.
• Surprisingly, manatees have relatively little fat; and as a sub-tropical species, they’re very susceptible to cold. That’s why you’ll find them in the warm shallow rivers, bays, estuaries and coastal waters of Florida.
• Also called sea cows, these gentle herbivores feed on marine and freshwater plants.
• Sadly, manatees are now quite rare. It’s estimated there are only 2,500 are left in the USA.

Osprey – majestic year round resident of Florida.

The osprey loves fishing as much as we do! Live fish accounts for about 99% of its diet. An osprey hunt is truly impressive. Watch as they fly over the water then hover in one place, readying for that sudden plunge, feet first, into the water to catch their prey.

Osprey fun facts

• A large bird with a white underside, crown and forehead, and dark back and wings.
• The osprey sports a distinctive dark stripe across the eyes - very helpful when it comes to settling family arguments about which raptor has just been spotted!
• Ospreys like to make their large stick-and-sod nests in dead trees and the purpose-built nest platforms you’ll see dotted along our beaches.
• When an osprey takes its catch back to the nest, you’ll notice they carry the fish headfirst – obeying the laws of aerodynamics!

Florida dolphin tours

Dolphins love to play in the warm Florida waters, and eco cruises are the best way to see them.

Dolphin fun facts

• Dolphins belong to the toothed whale family which includes orcas and pilot whales.
• They are carnivores, and eat fish, squid and crustaceans.
• Dolphins are generally gray in color with darker backs.
• They’re well known for their agility and playfulness. They’ll leap out of the water, rise to up to view their surroundings, and sometimes follow boats.
• They’re highly intelligent marine mammals. In Australia, researchers recently found that dolphins use tools … and pass the knowledge on to their young!

Birds of Florida

SW Florida is positively teeming with incredible birds.

Florida eco cruises give visitors the chance to see magnificent raptors like the osprey and the swallow-tailed kite glide the thermals.
Cruise the warm back country waters, and spot Florida water birds like the sharp-billed anhinga, the double-crested cormorant, and the solemn wood stork – all champion fishers.

Other Florida birds you might expect to see

Bald eagle
Belted kingfisher
Black-bellied whistling ducks
Black-necked stilt
Cattle egret
Crested caracara
Great egret
Green heron
Limpkin
Little blue heron

For more on Hawkeye's Florida eco cruises call 239.282.1263

Manatees and dolphins are wild.
The manatees and dolphins you expect to see on our eco cruises are wild animals, and as much as we’d like to, we can’t guarantee sightings on every trip. But to us, that just adds to the thrill of an actual encounter.