APOLLO BEACH, Fla. — It's a yearly winter tradition to see Florida manatees huddle in the warm waters outside of Tampa Electric's power plant in Apollo Beach to get a break from the frigid temps. However, what isn't as common is seeing lots of sharks get in the mix.
Video taken by Sky 10 this past week showed just that. Among the aggregation of manatees were small shivers of sharks. The image of so many sharks hanging out in Apollo Beach has some scientists baffled.
Dr. Bob Hueter, shark expert for OCEARCH, says it's not completely out of the ordinary to see sharks in TECO's warm waters. But, the number he says is impressive.
"It's a phenomenon that happens this time of year because the animal is looking for warmer water before they leave the Bay," Dr. Hueter says. "And, because the Bay has cooled down so quickly, and water coming out of there is 77 degrees, they're kind of entrapped in there."
Hueter adds that, hopefully, the water temperature outside the manatee viewing center warms up soon due to the limited amount of food available for the sharks.
While the jury is still out on what type of sharks are hanging out in the area, Hueter says they appear to be young bull sharks. Because of their small size, he says they won't be giving the manatees any trouble.
Around this time of year, bull sharks typically head farther south, near the Florida Keys, to forage for food. They can go a little while without eating; but eventually, the lack of food could lead to starvation.