Too much time at sea (or on the rum) must do something to the mind, as sailors across history apparently mistook manatees – large, slow-moving, aquatic mammals – for ‘women of the sea,’ or mermaids. Also known as sea cows, these herbivorous hulking creatures feed mainly on sea grass, scoffing more than a tenth of their bodyweight each day. They have a flat, paddle-shaped tail and come up for air every few minutes.

Where to see? Florida’s Crystal River is a known hotspot, with manatee-spotting tours and the chance to snorkel with them. Belize is also known to have good opportunities to spend time with manatees, which are also found in Costa Rica, Mexico and Jamaica. Manatees are not to be confused with their cousins, dugongs, another sea cow species found around Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Thailand and elsewhere.