Given the likely turbidity of the water in which the sightings were made, it wouldn’t be unusual for only a narrow length of the manatee’s back to be visible. The majority of the animal’s width would quickly get obscured in just a few inches of water, creating the impression of a long, narrow creature rather than the long, wide creature that’s actually passing by.

I agree that what we’re seeing at the beginning of the first video is a manatee snout. The animal took a breath, submerged, and then I’m guessing it gave a good thrust of its tail, causing the length of displaced water that we see a little later in the video. That’s consistent with manatee movement and behavior I’ve observed many dozens of times.

On another note, I’m curious as to why Mr. Sittloh assumes this animal – whatever it may be – poses a threat. There are very few marine creatures that actively hunt human beings, given the opportunity. Typically, they flee our presence.

Personally, I’d love it if this was a new or unusual marine species. Alas, I strongly suspect that the explanation is far more mundane.

Now, if the manatees turn out to have frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads, that would be worthy of a newspaper article or two.