At a distance, it looks like a shark's fin coming across the water.

"They attached a tracking collar to him, so they could keep an eye on him,” explains JD Mendenhall, a park ranger at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.

But the tracking device bobbing up and down in the water doubles as a toy.

"[He’s] playing with the buoy that was hooked to the other manatee.  It was really cute,” says park visitor Lisa Christman.

They are gazing at “Charlie the manatee,” a frequent visitor to this former roadside attraction that is now owned and managed by the State of Florida.

"It gives people an opportunity to get up close, and personal with many of the natural residents here in Florida, that they would not normally see,” JD says.

Under strong oaks in Citrus County, two million gallons of warm water exit a boil  in Homosassa Springs each hour that attract curious manatees like Charlie and curious visitors.

"I just wanted to get some pictures.  I figured the Manatees would be in,” Lisa says with camera in hand.  She joins several other gawkers, content to watch the crystal-clear water waters for sea cows.

First opened in the 1940s as "The Spring of 10,000 Fish,” the attraction was an underwater viewing room, providing a 360 degree panorama of what creatures lurked under the spring’s surface.

"It looks like a big fishbowl,” Lisa explains.  “Like you are going into a big fish tank."

From under the water's surface, awaits a different perspective, where 30 different types of fish glide by.

"Our business is to make a connection with these animals.  And I think that makes us special,” JD says about the park.

On rare occasions, mother manatees and their calves glide by.  Visitors are more likely to find manatees in the rehabilitating spring eating lunch, but there are more around the bend.

"You get to see all the different animals,” says Taina Moody.

Red wolves part of a breading program roam feet from an elevated boardwalk.  Next door, find owls and American Bald Eagles who were injured in the wild.  Across the natural landscape, find a pair of orphaned black bears on display.  All the animals here are native to The Sunshine State, except two: the bright pink flamingos and a hippo named “Lu,” who was left behind from a different era when the park housed exotic animals.