The manatee has been on the endangered species list since the year
2001. This is caused from pollution in the water, power boats, and slow
reproductivity. As a result, humans are putting an effort into saving these sea
cows.
The Florida Manatee’s scientific name is Manatus latirostris.
The scientific genus name Trichechus, means hair in Latin. The name manatee
comes from the Haitian word, "manati". A common term for manatees and
dugongs is the “sea cow”. This name is most likely from the fact that manatees
are herbivores, just like cows.
Most manatees live in warm tropical and subtropical waters. Areas such
as rivers, bays, canals, and estuaries are populated by these sea cows. They
can adapt to live in fresh, salt, or brackish water. Most manatees however, do
not travel into deep ocean waters. They like calm, quiet waters to relax and eat.
When the water becomes colder than 68 degrees, manatees will migrate into
warmer waters.
Manatee’s feed on more than 60 different types of plants. For example,
turtle grass, manatee ...
Nature designed Florida to be one large marine ecosystem. Florida is one big sand peninsula located below the 40th longitudinal North American line. Three bodies of salt water (Gulf of Mexico, Strait of Florida and Atlantic Ocean) surround three out of four directions of Florida. Man-made canals, natural lakes, rivers and estuaries are confined within the State of Florida’s physical boundaries. All of these form an interlocking system of waterways that impact the interconnected marine environment (marine ecosystem). All of Florida’s waterways are connected back to the surrounding bodies of water while passing through Florida’s sub-tropical and temperate zones and impact the delicate marine ecosystem balance. Man and nature are causing a negative impact to this region like never before. Hurricanes, lack of green initiatives, garbage, pollution and the stripping of natural resources for population growth are decimating Florida’s natural ecosystems.
Manatees, commonly called Sea Cow, are large aquatic mammals that are found in warm coastal areas, rivers and warm water springs in the Amazon Basin, West Africa, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and the Southeastern United States. Manatees can be found in salt water, fresh water and brackish water. They spend most of their time eating aquatic plants, resting, migrating and nurturing their young. The manatee species has evolved over the last 45 million years. The adult manatee evolved into an average of approximately 10 feet long and weighs between 800 and 1,200 pounds (Site This).
were prevented from ever happening. This meant that now there would be no fire to help new
The range-wide population of manatees is assumed to be at least 13,000, with more than 6,500 in the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico. There was “aerial surveys” that began in 1991. Info from the survey stated it was an estimation of 1,267 manatees in Florida. Today there are more than 6,300 in Florida, indicating a major increase over the last 25 years. The Conservation Commission (FWC)” recently led two natural status reviews of the Florida manatee that involved complete collection and mixture of population and range data; along with a wide spread display of population projections (FWC 2002, 2003; Haubold et al. 2006). Enduring studies of the Florida manatee show that there are four separate regional subpopulations, as
The Florida Keys is one of the most famous and most visited archipelagos in the world. Contrary to what many people think, though, the Florida Keys do not begin at Key Largo. To the north lie nearly 50 more keys (ancient coral reef islands) that are mostly undeveloped pieces of land. Great adventures await you as you venture from the mangrove shoreline out to the coral reefs of Biscayne Bay. Biscayne Bay is a shallow estuary, managed by the National Park Services along with Florida Wildlife Commission and many others. The bay serves as a nursery for many infant and juvenile marine life species that need protection until big enough to survive in the open ocean. Large healthy seagrass beds provide hiding places and food for many of the animals living on the reef. Protected by a chain of islands or keys off shore and the mainland to the west, the bay is one of the most productive ecosystems in the park. It is comprised of four different ecosystems; the two major ecosystems are beneath the bay 's clear waters: hardbottom and seagrass.
The manatee is a large, bulky aquatic mammal with flippered forelimbs and a spatula-shaped tail. Manatees can grow to 12 feet in length and weigh up to 3500 pounds. They may live to be 50 years old. It might be very difficult to imagine, but manatees (also known as 'sea cows') share a common ancestor with elephants, but did not evolve from the elephant, the elephant is considered the manatee's closest living relative. The manatee's vaguely human-like face is sometimes described as one only a mother could love. Indeed, it is difficult to understand how sailors ever mistook a manatee for a beautiful
In 1996, over 150 Florida manatee, Trichechus manatus latirostris, died from the exposure of brevetoxins in their habitat. In 2013, about 300 manatee mortalities associated with brevetoxins were found in the Gulf of Mexico. Brevetoxins are found to have multiple effects on manatee immune systems. According to the experimental results, scientists found significantly (p0.05) reduced T-lymphocyte proliferation, a process responds to stressed immune system, increased albumin levels, an indicator of rising inflammation, and raised superoxide dismutase levels, an enzyme responds to increased oxidative stress in rescued manatees that have been exposed to sub-lethal levels of brevetoxins compare to healthy manatees (Walsh et al., 2015).In another study,
Manatee was breathing heavily, as if he had just run a long way. Alpen thought this was weird as the prince had just been casting spells. His eyes followed the SeaWing as he plopped himself down by a clear pool and took a drink. Alpenrose turned to look at his superiors. Fluorite, Tundra, and Seal where talking to some stuffy looking SeaWing teacher. They looked deep in conversation. Alpen saw this as a good time to get to know the Prince better. He turned and walked over to the pool.
It was just a regular day in Okeechobee, Florida, when the owner of a hunting reserve spots the biggest alligator he has seen. It been 18 years since he have seen a 17 ft alligator. They have come over some smaller ones over the last 20 years. The way it caught their attention, is that it was feasting on the livestock. It would catch the livestock because as they go get something to drink. It would come out and start feasting. Lightsey found body remains in the water. As the owner told the reporters,’’ the monster had to be removing’’. He charges $10,000 to kill a gator that is over 13 feet. Usually he kills them with a high power rifle. They kill the gator so they won’t suffer any injures. One of his friends says it is hard to believe that
Recent statistics show that vehicular collisions are, in fact, a serious problem for the Florida panther’s survival rate as well: "In 2012, a record high of 19 panthers were killed while crossing the road. For a species whose population is believed to be just 100-160 adults, even the loss of a single cat is serious." (Reducing Panther Deaths on Roads). As the Florida panther faces extinction unless programs are implemented to restore its numbers, these statistics are not to be
The West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) is a marine mammal that lives in the coastal waters and around the offshore reefs of Belize. Manatees have large gray bodies covered with algae or barnacles. They are herbivores that consume marine vegetation such as sea grass and surface regularly to breathe. They reside in sea grass beds and in mangroves that provide them with shelter. The West Indian Manatee is listed as vulnerable under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and may eventually be listed as endangered. They are at a huge risk of decline due to coastal development and other changes to the environment (Auil). Manatees are facing countless risks and deaths as the human population increases in varying locations. According to the National Geographic, in the year of 2013, there have been a total of 829 known manatee deaths which has been the highest toll since biologists started to keep records of this species. Manatees have no natural enemy, so their deaths are caused by human interaction. These are entanglements in nets, destruction of habitat, collisions with watercraft, and hunting.
Have you ever met a prodigious manatee or dugong? Georg Wilhelm Steller has, this marine mammal was called Steller’s sea cow. This prehistoric animal was discovered in 1741 and disappeared from the face of the earth in 1768. Steller’s sea cow is an important animal to learn about because of the way they looked, the time period they lived in, and the surprising facts about them.
Lotze, Heike K., Marta Coll, Anna M. Magera, Christine Ward-Paige, and Laura Airoldi. "Recovery of Marine Animal Populations and Ecosystems." Trends in Ecology & Evolution 26.11 (2011): 595-605. Print.