Florida Manatee Rolls Through Shallows In Rare Pec-Walking Display

A large dark manatee rolls onto its back and side in ankle-deep, clear water, kicking up sand as its paddle tail and flippers break the surface.

The animal completes the roll before pushing through the shallows, with a person standing nearby in the water.

The view widens to a residential canal lined with white condos, docks, palms and a seawall as the manatee moves forward using its pectoral flippers in a behavior known as pec walking.

On-screen captions identify the two sequences as a “Manatee Barrel Roll” and “Manatee ‘Pec Walking.’”

Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute biologists describe pec walking or pec crawling as a known behavior in which manatees use their flippers to haul or push through very shallow water or onto a bank to reach vegetation. Barrel rolls are also documented as play or scratching.