- HubPages»
- Education and Science»
- Life Sciences»
- Marine Biology
About Manatees
Save the Sea Cows!
Manatees are large mammals who live in the water. They look kind of like a walrus and weigh upwards of 1 ton! They move very slowly and usually cannot escape when boats swim near them. They often are injured or killed from boat collisions. Many adult Manatees have scars on their backs from being hit by the propellers of boats. These scars are sometimes used to identify the animals, sort of like a fingerprint.
Manatees are in danger of extinction. Their demise is largely due to injury from fishing boats. Some get caught in fishing nets, and they are hunted in some places for their meat. But the main threat is a simple fix: If you are boating in areas known for manatee population, go slowly, and with caution. The ocean belongs to all of us, and is a great and largely unexplored frontier. Let us conserve all life in our oceans by exercising caution!
Photo: NOAA
Jimmy Buffet's "Save the Manatee"
30 Years!
May 26, 1981, the first meeting of the "Save the Manatee" committee took place in Tallahassee. Save the Manatee Club, a national nonprofit organization, was co-founded thirty years ago by singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett.
You Can Make a Difference! Adopt a Manatee!
Blue Springs State Park Blue Spring's natural spring maintains a year-round temperature of 72 degrees and is an attractive winter refuge for manatees who seek the spring waters when the surrounding river water temperatures become cold.
Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park A rehabilitation facility for manatees who are recovering from injuries before being released back into the wild.
Tampa Bay Five manatees frequently seen in the Tampa Bay area and along the west coast of Florida are up for adoption.
East Coast two manatees have gained fame when they were documented as having traveled to the northeastern part of the United States
Alabama The most recent additions to Save the Manatee Club's adoption program are named Bama and Zewie, and they have been sighted in Alabama waterways each year since 2009.
337 manatee deaths were documented in 2008 - 90 were water-craft related deaths and there was a record high of 101 newborn deaths. Biologists documented 699 manatee deaths in 2010.
Jimmy Buffet's - Come Monday Video
If you see an injured manatee
DO immediately contact FWC; safely maintain visual contact with the manatee.
DON'T approach the manatee too closely.
DO provide a good description or get a photo of the manatee.
DON'T attempt to disentangle or assist the manatee yourself.
SaveTheManatee.org
Endangered Manatee
All Things Manatee - Courtesy of Amazon
Ways to Help Manatees
1. When boating, wear
polarized sunglasses,
obey posted speed zones,
and stay in marked channels.
Don't motor through seagrass.
2. Don't throw fishing line, hooks, or trash in the water.
3. Don't touch or feed manatees or give them water.
4. Support manatee protection law
Manatees in the news
Good news or not so good, when I find something noteworthy about our Manatee friends, I'll add it here
- Sleek? Well, No. Complex? Yes, Indeed.
Far from being slow learners, manatees, it turns out, are as adept at experimental tasks as dolphins - Service Finalize Deciusion to Designate Kings Bay Manatee Refuge | North Florida ESO Jacksonville
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's North Florida Field Office's news release announcing the 2012 decision to designate Kings Bay in Crystal River, Citrus County, Florida a year-round manatee refuge and regulating various waterborne activities within th - Record Number of Manatees Seen in Belize Says Chaa Creek | Virtual-Strategy Magazine
A new scientific survey has returned with good news for one of the ocean's most loveable creatures - the endangered Antillean manatee is making a comeback in its Belizean home waters.
Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge - The Safe Haven for Florida Endangered Manatees
Photo credit: David Hinkel
Manatees crossing over King Spring toward shallow waters.
The Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge,established for the protection of endangered West Indian Manatee. Here are unspoiled and undeveloped habitat in Kings Bay, forming the headwaters of the Crystal River. The refuge preserves the warm water spring havens, which provide critical habitat for the manatee populations that migrate here each winter.
Manatee Resources
- Manatee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Manatee From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search For other uses, see Manatee (disambiguation).This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. - Manatee Facts
Manatee Facts Photo � William Garvin Description: West Indian manatees are large, gray aquatic mammals with bodies that taper to a flat, paddle-shaped tail. They have two forelimbs, called flippers, with three to four nails on each flipper. Their hea - The Magnificent Manatee
stunning sirenians: manatees on the Web - West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) | Rainforest Alliance
Tragically, the main cause of the depletion of manatee populations is human activity. Manatees are slow moving underwater animals. - State's manatee deaths hit record high
A record number of manatee deaths this year has state wildlife officials scrambling to save Florida's friendly sea cow from freezing to death during cold snaps. - Another record year for manatee deaths | Extinction Countdown, Scientific American Blog Network
Frigid waters off the coast of Florida have killed a record number of endangered manatees this year, according to state wildlife officials. The manatee—full name, the ...
