Shy Manatee Showing Everyone Her Favorite Rock Has Aquarium-Goers in Tears

If I could pick any animal in the world to be my pet, it would be either an elephant or a manatee. I love them both so much, but manatees in particular are just so special. They're like the bumblebees of the sea!

Just look at this manatee: she lives in an aquarium, and she loves it. One thing she loves more than bumbling around his tank? Showing all of her new human friends her very favorite rock:

@raquel_montess

I'm such an empath and tried my hardest not to cry. #dallasworldaquarium#thingstododallas#dfw#manatee

awww so cute - Cherri

I think I'm going to start crying. Raquel Montess said in her caption that she was also on the verge of tears: how could she not be? This is quite possibly the sweetest thing in the world!

Related: Precious Baby Manatee Who Looks Like ‘Tiny Marshmallow' Has Hearts Melting

She lives at the Dallas World Aquarium in Dallas, Texas, and apparently, she's a bit of a local celebrity. Someone in the comments says that her name is Ayurami, and she's very friendly! She likes getting up close to the visitors whenever she can.

There's even someone in the comments who proposed to his now-fiancèe in front of her tank, and she excitedly stopped to watch! Clearly, they have her blessing, which might be the most important blessing of all.

Manatees Are Social Creatures

Manatees are semi-social, meaning they can live alone or together. It all depends on their environment: if they live somewhere food is scarce, you might find them congregating in larger numbers near a food source.

However, even manatees that primarily live alone are relatively peaceful animals. If they come across another manatee, the chances of them fighting are low. Instead, they're:

• Curious.
• Kind.
• Easygoing.

In an aquarium setting, it's not uncommon for manatees to seek out the humans who visit. They like to know what's going on!

Manatees Should Be Left Alone

Obviously, Ayurami loves to see the humans, but she's behind glass in an aquarium. If you see this and think that manatees in the wild are friendly like this, too, you should keep in mind that approaching them is still not a good idea.

Though it's unlikely that a manatee would hurt you for approaching them, it's not advisable. They don't understand humans in the way you might hope: they're not going to think you're a friend. They're just going to know you're there and move on.

It's always best to let wild animals be, including manatees. If one of them wants to show you their favorite rock, though, you sure as anything better take a look!

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This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 7:00 AM.