A stranger to Bermuda has been spotted in local waters this week.

Two separate videos that appeared to show a manatee were posted yesterday on Facebook.

The mammal can be seen swimming near land in one video and close to mariners in another.

The recordings were acknowledged by the Bermuda Zoological Society and the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.

Both groups said they were “aware of a video circulating showing what appears to be a manatee in Bermuda waters”.

A joint statement added: “Our wildlife team is currently working to verify the sighting and is co-ordinating with relevant marine mammal experts to determine the best path forward for the animal’s welfare if the sighting is confirmed.”

Anyone potentially sighting the animal was asked to report the sighting “immediately, including the specific location, so our team can locate and monitor the animal and help protect it from marine traffic”.

The BAMZ wildlife recovery team can be reached at 293-2727, extension 999, while the contact for Bermuda Maritime Operations is 297-1010.

In the event of an encounter, the community was warned to keep “a safe and respectful distance”.

“Do not attempt to touch, feed or otherwise interact with the animal,” the statement said, advising people to remain calm and move “slowly and predictably nearby — manatees are slow-moving, air-breathing mammals and need space to surface undisturbed”.

The groups also called for alerting any boaters nearby to “slow down and watch for the animal in the area”.

“BZS and BAMZ thank the public for their vigilance and co-operation in helping ensure the safety of this visiting animal.”

Florida manatees are known to head to northern waters, sometimes even as far as Massachusetts, during the summer months.

Antillean manatees travel from northern Mexico down to Brazil; Amazon manatees only live in freshwater; and West African manatees are found in the region from which they take their name.

Charlotte Bosch De Noya, who shared one of the videos online — understood to have been recorded by a family member — referred to the mammal in her post as “Morgan the Manatee”.

She wrote that it may have been “racing the squadron of rays who glided gracefully moments after.”

The post called the sighting “a very bizarre and random experience”.