Man visiting Texas City Dike captures rare sighting of manatee

TEXAS CITY, Texas (KTRK) -- A man says it was a first for him after what he thought was a dolphin having trouble in the water turned out to be a manatee.

The video, captured by viewer Pay Habib on Monday, shows the manatee for a few seconds just floating near the shore off the Texas City Dike.

In August 2019, a woman shared a similar experience of sighting a manatee, but in Galveston Bay.

Manatee sightings may be rare but not totally uncommon this time of year in Texas.

Manatees are known to occasionally visit Texas, swimming in for a "summer vacation" from Florida and Mexico before returning to warmer waters for the winter, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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