Hundreds of manatees swim in the warmer spring water
© APTNHundreds of manatees swim in the warmer spring water
Like most sensible creatures, manatees, the sea cows that live in the waters around the US state of Florida, seek warmth when it's cold.

On Thursday morning, roughly 500 of the gentle, aquatic giants crowded into the Three Sisters Springs as temperatures along Florida's Gulf Coast dipped below 10 degrees Celsius.

The springs have been periodically closed to swimmers because of the large concentration of the endangered animals.

But that hasn't stopped visitors from flocking to the boardwalk to gawk at the behemoths, which can weigh up to 590kgs.

Manatees are very susceptible to cold weather.

They can suffer hypothermia and cold stress and will eventually die if they are in water below 20 degrees Celsius.