Chain
- Tag Status
- Active
- Last Date Tagged
- July 22, 2026
- Gender
- Male
- Tagging Location
- Lake Griffin, Florida
Please note: The presentation of data here does not constitute publication, and the researchers who contributed this data retain all intellectual property rights. Map created by Clearwater Marine Aquarium using Google Maps API. Data & Map © CMA. Use of this map or data without permission is prohibited without the written consent of the researcher. This map is automatically updated with new points each day. The manatee icon location point represents the most recent location received for this manatee. If the most recent point is more than two months old, then the manatee most likely lost their tag ending our ability to track their movement.
Chain’s Story
A full health assessment was conducted on an eight and half foot subadult male manatee named “Chain” on July 13, 2026, in Lake Griffin within the Chain-of-Lakes near Leesburg, Florida by Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (CMARI) through the collaborative effort from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Georgia Aquarium (GAI), SeaWorld Orlando (SWO), Walt Disney World – Living Seas and St. Johns Water Management District. “Chain” received a complete health checkup from GAI veterinarian staff and additional blood was provided to University of Florida and USGS for future analysis and comparative studies. He was also outfitted with a GPS satellite tag to closely monitor his travels as part of our Ocklawaha Manatee Movement study. The project will collect crucial habitat use and health data to help manage threats to manatees that migrate into the system during the warmer months of the year from the east coast of Florida and the upper St. Johns River. Working in cooperation with state and federal agencies, data collected from this project will also provide an insightful understanding of how often individual manatees navigate through lock systems and what resources are they seek between large lake systems.
All manatee work was conducted under USFWS Research Permit # MA37808A-2.