Manatees are iconic and beloved Florida creatures. But they might be relatively new residents of the Sunshine State. Research published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One suggests Florida’s manatee populations were once much smaller than they are today.

Over the course of his career, study co-author and University of South Florida anthropologist Thomas Pluckhahn realized that there was a lack of evidence showing that there was a large population of manatees in the pre-colonial era. The manatee population in Tampa Bay wasn’t even deemed plentiful until the 1950s .

New research suggests that while manatees are an indelible part of Florida's seascape, they might also be relatively new residents in the Sunshine State.

Historic accounts reveal manatee populations increased in the 1800s and 1900s alongside human populations. A new study highlights that Florida manatees are more numerous now than ever before, likely due to improved conservation efforts and environmental changes.

New research suggests that while manatees are an indelible part of Florida’s seascape, they might also be relatively new residents in the Sunshine State. The findings are detailed in a study co-authored by University of South Florida anthropologist Thomas Pluckhahn and David Thulman,

Despite their modern reputation as a rare species, these results suggest that Florida manatees are more abundant today than any previous time in North American human history. Many of the anthropogenic changes that endanger the species today are also likely responsible for their population growth over the past two centuries.