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Manatee spotted in tributary off Chesapeake Bay near Waldorf, Md.

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July 16, 2015 at 9:39 a.m. EDT
A manatee was spotted in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. (National Aquarium)

Usually, manatees are associated with Florida waterways. But this week one was spotted in  a tributary off the Potomac River near Waldorf.

Officials with the National Aquarium said in a blog they run that the manatee was seen in St. George Creek.

It actually isn’t that odd to see manatees in the area. Manatees usually travel from Florida up the East Coast, the aquarium said. Sea grass — their main choice for food — is abundant in the Chesapeake Bay.

And like others who seek warmer temperatures when it starts to get chilly in the D.C. area, the manatees “will begin to head back to the warmer waters” along the southern Atlantic coast, authorities said.

 Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that the manatee was found in Charles County.