A flexible and graceful swimmer, the West Indian manatee migrates annually to Florida's coastal waters. This balmy winter retreat unfortunately holds a palpable danger for these gentle creatures. In 2005, collisions with watercraft and other human-related accidents accounted for nearly 25 percent of all manatee deaths in Florida according to the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Boating speed limits and the creation of sanctuaries are just some of the protections put into place by state and federal lawmakers to help save the endangered manatee.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Unlocking the Labyrinth of North Florida Springs," March 1999, National Geographic magazine)