That Wasn't a Manatee, and We're Sorry

In last week's issue we published a photograph, taken from a rented pontoon boat outside New Smyrna, of what we described as a manatee surfacing near a channel marker. It has since been pointed out to us — by six readers, one marine biologist, and the manufacturer of the channel marker — that the object in the photograph is, in fact, the channel marker itself, viewed at an unusual angle.

We regret the error. We regret it especially because we spent two paragraphs meditating on the manatee's expression, which we described as 'contemplative,' 'grandmotherly,' and 'faintly disappointed.' The channel marker, we now understand, has no expression, and any perceived disappointment was our own.

The photographer, in her defense, notes that the sun was in her eyes. The editor who approved the caption notes that he was, at the time, on hold with a plumber. The manatee, wherever it is, has declined to comment.