Manatees are ugly creatures. They're all pudgy and grey, with a face like a cross between Wilford Brimley and the Elephant Man. Yes, they're precious and valuable life forms, and it sucks that they're endangered. (Don't email us, hippies.) Maybe -- maybe -- you could argue that they're so ugly that it comes back around to cute, like the bulldogs of the sea.
Still, you've gotta admit, they're called "sea cows" for a reason.
So South African design studio Built By Wildman has really done the impossible with its short film, Sirenia Shadows. The team shot underwater footage of endangered West Indian manatees in the Crystal River on Florida's west coast, north of Tampa. The serene images they captured, along with a spa-like soundtrack, make its manatee subjects look like elegant, majestic creatures.
Watch the video after the jump, and you'll never look at manatees the same way again.
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