A manatee, the slow-moving "sea cow" native to tropical waters, was sighted recently in a coastal lagoon off Rhode Island near the Connecticut border, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and Mystic Aquarium.

DEEP on Tuesday shared a photo of the wandering manatee, which may have to be captured and relocated if it sticks around too long as water temperatures drop.

"The ocean is full of surprises!" a Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Facebook post said.

The manatee was spotted recently in Quonochontaug Pond, a lagoon off the coast of Charleston and Westerly, R.I. DEM, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Mystic Aquarium are monitoring the sea mammal, Sarah Callan, manager of Mystic's animal rescue program, said. All involved are hoping the manatee will swim back south on its own, Callan said.

The animals can travel hundreds of miles throughout the year, and while they are rarely found in the Ocean State, they have been seen in southern New England waters before, including in 2006 and 2016, the Rhode Island agency reported. This is the sixth confirmed sighting off Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Fishers Island since 1995, Callan said.

Manatees live in brackish and freshwater coastal areas. Preferring warmer waters, they typically stay near the Florida Peninsula and Gulf Coast during the winter months, but expand their range in the summer. Water temperatures have been warmer than usual, Callan said, and she predicted earlier this year that a manatee might venture this far north as many tropical fish have done this summer.

Manatees have been spotted off the Connecticut coast, usually in marinas, about every four years since the mid-1990s, DEEP marine biologist David Molnar said. Marinas are shallow with fresh water sources, "and they like the sea grass and all the marine plants that are inside marinas," Molnar said. The animals have been sighted off Bridgeport, Clinton and Milford, among other towns along the state shore, he said. Temperatures in Long Island Sound now are 72-75 degrees, so the animals would feet comfortable, Molnar said.

The solo manatee sighted in Rhode Island may have been searching for food, Callan said. In any case, the animal is feeding on eel grass in the warm lagoon and officials are taking a hands-off approach right now.

Full-grown manatees typically weigh between 800 and 1,200 pounds and are 9 to 10 feet in length, but they can be as large as 3,500 pounds and 13 feet long.

Manatees are protected by the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act. Officials ask that the public protect the visitor by keeping an appropriate distance. Boaters in the area should use caution and be on the lookout for the manatee. Anyone who sees the animal should keep a no-wake speed until it is a safe distance from the boat.

Do not try to feed or touch the manatee and always maintain a safe distance of at least 150 feet, officials instructed. The Fish and Wildlife Service has jurisdiction over manatees and is coordinating with Mystic Aquarium and other organizations on a relocation, if that becomes necessary, Callan said.

"We don't want to intervene if we don't have to," she said, "but if the animal's health is at risk, we'll have to make that decision."

So catching a sea cow should be pretty easy, right?

Not really, Callan said. The animals are big and strong and while they are typically slow moving and docile, a manatee wants nothing to do with getting hauled out of the sea by humans.

"They're pretty feisty," Callan said. "They're much faster than you think."

Water temperatures will be key to the decision of whether and when to intervene, she said. Sightings can be reported to the Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue Hotline at (860) 572-5955, ext. 107.