The Florida Manatee is actually a subspecies of the West Indian manatee and is a member of the class: Mammalia, order: Sirenia, family: Trichediae and has the scientific name; Trichechus manatus latirostris. These massive animals are native, "from the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, throughout the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, south to coastal parts of northeastern and central-eastern South America" (“West Indian Manatee). These massive aquatic animals may live to be older than 50 years, and reach their sexual maturity at three to five years and only produce a single calf every other year. These animals feed on aquatic vegetation and can consume up to fifteen percent of their body weight in a single day. Manatees are, "primarily
After being broken down by their teeth salivary glands begin to aid in digestion. In the West Indian manatee, "submaxillary salivary glands are prominent, but sublingual glands are small" (Berta 346). The manatee has taste buds that occur on the swellings of the tongue and have no tonsils. According to Dr. Bobrin 's lecture PowerPoints, as an herbivore, some of the saliva being produced is an amylase, which begins the breakdown of
There are four components to the large intestine; the cecum, the colon, the rectum, and finally the anus. While it does vary from species to species, the Florida manatee does have a cecum. This is a site for fermentation to occur where the ileum and colon meet. Next in the large intestine is the colon, and after that is the rectum. This is the last part of the large intestine and it is, for the most part, a storage area for waste such as feces. It should be noted that more water absorption does occur here. After moving through the entire system, undigested waste exits the body through the anus. This is another sphincter that food must pass through and it is composed of skeletal and smooth
The Pygmy Three-Toed-Sloth, also known as Bradypus pygmaeus scientifically, has been classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. “They are restricted to one area from Isla Escudo de Veraguas in the archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama” (“Pygmy three-toed sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus)” (a)). The island is very small, measuring about 5 square kilometers in area. These sloths are usually found in red mangroves at sea level.
4. Small Intestine: 20ft (6m) long, 1in (2.5cm) in diameter. Consist of 3 parts the duodenum, the jejunum, and the ileum. Intestinal juice, secretions from the liver and pancreas complete chemical breakdown.
The State of Florida’s marine ecosystems are in a constant pattern of change. Change is necessary in nature. Change is nature’s way of adaptation. While there are “occasional good” changes, the progressive major changes have a devastating negative impact to the Florida marine environment. There are several factors correlated directly to this negative change. Most of these factors are due to man. One cause is natural. It is the hurricane. Hurricane Season is from June to November (NOAA) each and every year. On average 11 named storms occur in the Atlantic Basin each year with 6 reaching hurricane strength and 50% of these becoming a major hurricane of category 3 to 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale (NOAA). Whether small or large, hurricanes cause damage and modifica...
Mammals of Florida. Miami, Florida: Windward Publishing. 3. Land, Darrell, and Sharon K. Taylor. 1998.
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).
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 are the “sea cow”.
Orcinus orca is the scientific name for the massive marine mammal. Orcas are not rare, but have declining numbers in some areas (Martin.) Orcas are found from the Artic Ocean to the Antartic Ocean. (Britannica) They belong to the Delphinidae, or dolphin family, which is the largest of their species. Female orcas grow to be at the most 15 feet, and weigh up to 4 tons, but the males can grow as large as 20-30 feet, and weight up to 8 tons. (Martin) The color of the orca is white in some spots, black on the majority of the body, and gray just behind the dorsal fin. It is white on the chin, belly and the eye. The white patch above the eye is usually mistaken for the eye, and may confuse their prey, but acts as a camouflage for the eye. The name “killer whale” makes people tend to believe that this is a viscious man-eating mammal, yet it is one of the most shrewd, docile and playful species of the marine mammals. The orca is sexually mature at 10-15 years of age, much like humans, which is 12-13 years of age. They tend to mate year round, and is able to have a calf every two years. It is interesting to know that lactation of the mother lasts 12 or more months (Wynne.) The life expectancy of orcas is 45-50 years of age.
Manatees are loved by many Floridians. Manatees are known as one of the state’s natural wonders. They were once marked as one of the endangered mammals in Florida. The federal government considers a species endangered when it is at risk of extinction. Therefore, the federal government is downlisting manatees from “endangered” to “threatened.”
The small intestine consists of about twenty feet of tubing that winds about itself to form the small intestine. The first foot of the small intestine is called the duodenum. This is where the majority of the digestion takes place. The pasty liquid moves from the stomach and into the duodenum where the paste is mixed with enzymes and chime. The duodenum also receives digestive juices from the pancreas and bile from the liver. Once the food comes out of the duodenum, it is ready to be absorbed into the blood vessels and used for various purposes throughout the body. The next part of the small intestine where the food get absorbed into the body is called the epithelium. The epithelium is similar to a fluffy towel in that it has large folds and it also has small finger-like outgrowths where the nutrients are grabbed and transported into the blood vessels. Whatever is not absorbed in the small intestine then move into the large intestine (2012, Pg.
The small intestine empties into the cecum. The cecum along with the large colon make up the large intestine. Digestion in the large intestine occurs by bacteria and protozoa. arg.gov.sk.ca - arg.gov.sk.ca - arg.gov.sk.ca - arg.gov.sk.ca - arg.gov The energy content found in feeds and how it is measured in Kilocalories (kcal).
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 the end, manatees are good-hearted, wild animals that needs our help from being wiped into extinction. Fan boats need to be used or other inventions need to be generated to prevent the barbaric flesh tearing effects of our propeller driven boats. Funding for red tide control technology is needed for the manatees as well as other sea life. We need to help these manatees survive as so many other animals have been. Over the last 50 years, humans have greatly decreased the manatee population (Lapham). Each year manatee population decreases by 10%, with 2013 being the worst year of all (Halls). The problem is evidently getting worse, not better. The time for resolve is now. If not, it will not be long until the loving nature and face of the manatee goes blank in the world of existence.
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.
This particular sea turtle has many unique physical characteristics that set it apart from other sea turtles. These turtles are rather small when compared to others. The average measurements for weight and length are 80 kg and 87 cm (Edelman). “The carapace (top shell) has a tortoiseshell coloring, ranging from dark to golden brown, with streaks of orange, red, and/or black…. [and] the plastron (bottom shell) is clear yellow (Hawksbill Sea Turtle).” Although male and females both look similar, males tend to be more colorful, have a concave plastron, long claws, and a thicker tail and females have a carapace that curves outward. Other features besides color are, two claws on each front limb, two pairs of prefrontal scales on the head, and a toothless mouth with strong jaws that are capable of crushing and biting its food (Edelman) (Hawksbill Sea Turtle, National Wildlife).
The feeling of the cold water around me was really waking me up. Swirling crystal green-blue water and tree branches gently floated past me as my mom and I made our way into the lagoon. I blinked my blue eyes to clear the liquid from my goggles. And then I saw it; a grey manatee, swimming slowly in the water with it’s tail swishing up and down softly. The real mermaids. We weren't allowed to (deep breath) yell near/at, touch, feed, hit, kick, poke, kick sand at, kidnap the baby manatees, swim over, ride, kayak over, touch the sand in a way the irritated anyone, or wake up the sleeping manatees. Manatees were endangered at that time, so of course the place had a bajillion rules to protect them. Still, it was manatee heaven, nonetheless.