A manatee has been spotted in the James River, wildlife officials say.
The large aquatic mammal, also called a sea cow, was reported Tuesday just below downtown Richmond and several miles downriver, officials say.
Pictures sent in by a witness show what appears to indeed be a manatee, said Julia Dixon, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
"It does look like we have a manatee hanging around the area," Dixon said today.
The docile, plant-eating animals are native to Florida. Some head north in summer, apparently looking for new places to live. When the water turns cold, they go back south.
The average adult is about 10 feet long and weighs about 1,000 pounds.
Anyone who sees the manatee or gets a picture of it should call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (804) 693-6694.
However, a wildlife service official asked that people not go out looking for the animal, which is an endangered species.
Officials don't want people hitting the manatee with their boats or otherwise disturbing it.
A manatee was spotted in Richmond in 2002.
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