A manatee that was recently captured after repeated sightings off of Cape Cod is pregnant.
Staff at the Mystic Aquarium discovered the pregnancy Tuesday during a routine medical exam.
Dr. Stephen Coan, the aquarium's president and CEO, said an ultrasound determined the 800-pound manatee is between four and five months pregnant.
The manatee spent at least a month swimming in and around Nantucket Sound before it was captured Sept. 22 off Washburn Island near Falmouth, Massachusetts. The mammal was captured before the waters cooled. Manatees typically fare poorly in temperatures below 68 degrees.
Officials from the International Fund for Animal Welfare said that the manatee's survival is "even more important" because it is pregnant.
The gestation period for a manatee is about one year.
