A record 932 manatees crowded into Florida’s Blue Spring State Park over the weekend seeking warm water amid the cold winter, officials said.

The mark was set Sunday. The previous daily record for manatees at the park was 736, set on Jan. 1, Blue Spring officials said in a Facebook post.

The manatee crowds are a yearly event, as Blue Spring’s water along the Wekiva River 30 miles north of Orlando stays a constant 72 degrees Fahrenheit, according to park officials.

Despite their plump appearance, manatees have only about 1 inch of fat and slow metabolism. They can’t tolerate water temperatures below 68 degrees for any extended period, officials said.

Sunday was the coldest in the Wekiva River this year at 58.8 degrees, according to Save the Manatee Club.

The group was co-founded in 1981 by singer Jimmy Buffett and Florida Gov. Bob Graham. The club does research and has manatee webcams inside the park.

The club said the state park’s manatee count for Sunday was high, adding that its figure was 679.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.