Manatees

Manatees

Quietly, but swiftly, the plump, dark animal glided across the water while making sounds comparable to that of the squeaks and squeals of a whale

("Florida Manatee" 1). Some would say these aquatic mammals are the ugliest thing below the surface, others would say that these animals are beautiful and resemble portly mermaids, but no matter what anybody says about the manatees, they are unique creatures (Ray and Ciampi 315). They are mammals that are completely harmless, they feed mostly on sea grass and sometimes small underwater creatures like shrimp (Berrill 212). It is a shame for these creatures to be on the endangered species list.

Looking at the physical aspect, these animals are incredibly uncommon, and like no other creature on earth. These majestic beasts can float across the water amazingly fast for its size ("Florida Manatee" 1). They can weigh up to a ton, and get as long as fifteen feet. They are almost devoid of hair, except for some whiskers on their face, and they have internal ears on the sides of their head. Their nostrils are closed by valves, so they can accomplish such feats as flips and quick turns without losing any air. Manatees have no hind legs, but instead one big, flat, spatula-like tail (Sentman 327). This feature made people confuse manatees with mermaids for nearly four centuries (O'Shea 66).

Many biologists say that manatees possibly originated or evolved from ungulates such as elephants and cows because of the way that they are built, and certain features that they have in common. Like elephants, manatees have the peculiar half-moon shaped fingernails, and thick, wrinkled skin. Manatees also shares some traits with cows. The way the manatees spend all day lazily grazing on the ocean floor is incredibly similar to the behavior of cows at a pasture

(Breeden 58).

Manatees eat an outrageous amount of food, they consume approximately ten percent of their body weight daily. The large quantities that the manatees eat is another one of its unique qualities ("Florida Manatee" 1). People use the manatees as natural "underwater lawn mowers", setting them free in lakes that have too much sea grass or plants. The manatees consequently eat up the vegetation, which frees u...

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...s that they can travel up to fifty kilometers a day, and go back to a designated location every season. Further developments in manatee research will help in preventing the accidental death of many of these animals. The research that scientists have learned from the transmitters will help in regulating boat speeds in certain areas to avoid the propeller deaths of many manatees, thus decreasing the death toll. The research will also designate specialized places to guard manatees, these areas will be watched very carefully by the US Fish and Wildlife Service

(O'Shea 71).

Scientists have no clue as to the manatee population before the commercialized hunting of the 1900's, therefore, people do not know how large an impact man has made on the manatees. Even without the statistics, or the exact numbers of manatees killed by humans in the past, we still know that man has caused most of these deaths (Breeden 58). Whether it be by hunting, or accidental incidents, man is the manatees' worst enemy. To the average person, manatees may not seem important but they are essential to many living things, including humans. Manatees have ch