ORANGE CITY, Fla. — The manatees are back in full force at Blue Spring State Park in full force — 508 were counted Friday morning.

Through the Save the Manatee Club, you can symbolically adopt your own wild manatee that lives in Central Florida. 

1. Adoptable manatees: There are 36 adoptable manatees in the program to choose from and 24 of them live in Blue Spring. They are chosen for the program because they have interesting histories and notable marks that allows researchers to track them.

2. What you get: When adopting a manatee, you get an "adoption" certificate, a photo, and biography of the manatee. You’ll also get a membership handbook, The Manatee Zone newsletter, and an e-newsletter.

3. How much it costs: The basic adoption is $25, but you can make a donation up to $500.

4. What they money goes toward: According to the club, it's used for conservation efforts, research at Blue Spring State Park, producing outreach and educational information, legal advocacy, and supporting a manatee center in Belize.

5. Good chance of spotting your manatee: So far, every adoptee that comes to Blue Spring has already been spotted this year.  

To "adopt" a manatee, visit the Save the Manatee website.