Every mythical creature has its moment to shine. A few years ago, it was small, bald gremlin guys (Dobby in “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” and Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy).

The poor, portly manatee, having to endure this gibe time and again: “The early explorers thought manatees were mermaids. Guess they’d been at sea a little too long!” Local tour guides have their own ...