Dead manatee found on shore of Lake Marion

SUMMERTON — South Carolina wildlife officials say a dead manatee has been found on Lake Marion, more than 100 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.

The state Department of Natural Resources said the manatee’s carcass was found Tuesday, and the animal likely died from the recent cold weather, although wildlife officials will examine the body.

Experts say manatees aren’t unusual off the South Carolina coast, and they sometimes end up in freshwater rivers as they move around the East Coast looking for food. But they say it is unusual that this manatee managed to make it up the Cooper River and through the dams and locks on Lake Moultrie into Lake Marion.

Wildlife officials say they did get a few reports of a manatee in the lake before the animal was found dead.