Popular Florida manatee died of injuries from sex with his brother, aquarium concludes

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Zoo Tampa concerned about manatee death toll

In the last two years, nearly 2,000 manatees died in Florida. Environmental groups are now calling for the threatened species to be re-listed as endangered.

A Florida aquarium concluded this week that one of its star attractions who had died earlier in the year succumbed to his injuries from "increased" mating behavior with his brother.

Hugh and his sibling Buffett were two popular manatees residing at Sarasota's Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, but Hugh unexpectedly died in April at age 38. 

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium made its findings public. 

"On the day of Hugh’s passing, Hugh and Buffett engaged in natural, yet increased, mating behavior observed and documented in manatees both in managed care and in the wild," Mote wrote on its Facebook page on Tuesday. "This was the first time such heightened mating behavior was witnessed between the two manatees. However, each year, like other male manatees in both the wild and in managed care, Hugh and Buffett would exhibit approximately two months of seasonal behavioral changes including, but not limited to, an increase in sexual behavior."

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Two friendly manatees approach a snorkeler, who reaches out to pet them gently, in Florida's Crystal River. (Stuart Westmorland/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

A necropsy conducted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Marine Mammal Pathobiology Lab found a "14.5 cm long tear in the ventral wall" of his colon as the fatal injury, according to NBC News. 

Mote stressed that the manatees were "under heightened observation throughout the day" and the animal care team was in constant contact with veterinarians. 

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"Hugh and Buffett were both observed initiating and mutually seeking interactions from each other throughout the day and there were no obvious signs of discomfort or distress such as listing, crunching, or active avoidance that would have triggered a need for intervention," Mote wrote. "Following the direction of the veterinarians, distraction rather than physical separation was chosen because separation has previously caused undue anxiety and negative effects in both manatees. In an effort to redirect the manatees’ attention and decrease undesirable behaviors, animal care staff used positive reinforcement tools such as high value rewards and enrichment that had previously been successful."

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium concluded this week that its star manatee Hugh died from injuries following "increased" sex with his brother Buffett. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Jenessa Gjeltema of the University of California, Davis’ School of Veterinary Medicine told NBC News sex between male manatees isn't abnormal, even among brothers. 

"They're not too meticulous about who their partners are. They just have this kind of a sexual urge and then they'll engage in activity with whomever seems to be in the area, and if that's a female, great," Gjeltema told NBC News. "But if there are not enough females around or there are only males around, they may express that sexual behavior on whatever individual may be in the vicinity."

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A manatee floats in a canal at Port Everglades, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ((AP Photo/Lynne Sladky))

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Both Hugh and Buffett were born at the Miami Seaquarium and arrived at Mote in 1996 from ZooTampa. They had been "the world’s only manatees to participate in voluntary, detailed behavioral research designed to aid manatee conservation," according to Mote. 

"Hugh’s indelible and lasting legacy will be one of an invaluable contribution to the scientific understanding of manatee behavior and contributions to the conservation of his species," Mote wrote in the announcement of his passing.