More Problems for Florida's Manatees as Death Toll Soars [SLIDESHOW]

For months now a red bloom has released deadly toxins off the western coast of Florida, killing record numbers of manatees. Now, large numbers of the endangered species are showing up dead on the state's eastern shore.

Ground zero seems to be an area called the Indian River Lagoon. Since July, a total of 55 manatees have shown up dead there, 25 of which appeared only this last month.

Scientists, however, remain uncertain as to the cause of the slaughter, largely because they have not been able to locate a sick manatee for examination.

Pat Rose is a former government manatee biologist and now the executive director of the Save the Manatee Club. She believes a likely cause is the loss of food for the animal. Nearly 31,000 acres of sea grass, a crucial part of the manatee's diet, has been replaced with dark brown algae blooms.

"The system is way out of balance," Rose told the Tampa Bay Times.

The imbalance, Rose believes, is the result of storm runoff carrying human and animal waste as well as chemicals such as fertilizers, which in turn have fueled the algae.

Nor are manatees the only ones apparently threatened: ever since the beginning of the year, more than 100 dead brown pelicans have been spotted in the same area. The pelicans show signs of starvation and are plagued by parasites.

In total, more than 200 manatees have been killed either by Florida's red tide or the mysterious ailment plaguing the Indian River Lagoon population. Total, there are an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 manatees in the Florida region.