Following the debut of seadragons in the Nursery, another baby has arrived at The Seas with Nemo & Friends at EPCOT: a baby manatee named Soleil.
Soleil the Baby Manatee in The Seas
We got our first look at The Seas’ newest manatee swimming and munching Romaine lettuce alongside Tanimura and Cider, the other two manatees currently residing in the aquarium.
The news was also shared by Dr. Mark Penning, a.k.a. drmarkatdisney, who regularly posts updates about the animals living at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and EPCOT.
Meet Soleil — a young, female orphaned manatee who comes to us in need of short-term care. 💙 She has now joined Cider & Tanimura at The Seas with Nemo & Friends, where she’ll be treated to world-class animal care. 🩺
This is part of Disney’s collaboration with @mrp_manatee and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to assist in the recovery and protection of manatees. #DisneyWorld #EPCOT
Notably, Soleil is not a new permanent resident of The Seas. As explained in Dr. Mark’s caption, the aquarium is now a short-term care facility working with the Manatee Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release Partnership and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to rehabilitate injured or orphaned manatees with the intent of returning them to the wild.
The last baby manatee to come to The Seas was Tanimura, another orphan who arrived in June 2025 and is still living in the aquarium, although she is also likely to eventually be released.
In October 2025, Mermaid the manatee was successfully released after seven months recovering at The Seas.
Guests can currently view Soleil swimming with Tanimura and Cider in their tank from the first or second level of SeaBase Aquarium in The Seas.
Do you enjoy visiting the manatees when you go to EPCOT? Let us know on social media.
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