I think that manatees are one of the most gracious and graceful things in the sea (besides sea turtles and dolphins). These aquatic mammals are large, gray and vegetarians. The manatee's closest land relatives are the elephant and the hyrax (a small, gopher-sized mammal). Manatees are believed to have evolved from a wading, plant-eating animal. The West Indian manatee is related to the West African manatee, the Amazonian manatee, the dugong, and to the Steller's sea cow (which was hunted to extinction in 1768).
There are approximately 3,000 West Indian manatees left in the United States. West Indian manatees have no natural enemies, and it is believed they can live 60 years or more. Many manatee deaths are human-related, most from collisions with watercraft. (That means they get hit by boats!)
One thing I know for sure is that they are very, very slow moving mammals. I got to see some at Sea World (San Diego) and they were as slow as turtles! The only reason they moved, it seems like, was for food! (But I can't seem to recall their names.) But I do remember that one had a white star-shaped scar on its rear from a boat strike.
Elaine has a couple of scars herself. Elaine is my adopted manatee! (My step-dad Andy adopted her for me for Christmas.) I don't really own her at my house (because the bathtub isn't big enough!). She usually stops by a place called Blue Springs State Park in Florida. Elaine was born September 12th, 1985. Her mother was Emma; sadly, Emma was found dead in Shell Creek (about 4 miles from Blue Springs) in July 1986. Elaine's brothers were also killed when she was young. Elaine is now a mother herself. She had her first calf, Ester, was born in 1990; in 1993, she had another daughter, Elsie; in 1995, Elaine brought another new calf to Blue Springs, but the park rangers were unable to identify if the calf was male or female. And that's about all that I know about her. Other than she has the same name as my Great-Grandma Elaine! There is a picture of my manatee Elaine at the top of this post.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Manatees!
I think that manatees are one of the most gracious and graceful things in the sea (besides sea turtles and dolphins). These aquatic mammals are large, gray and vegetarians. The manatee's closest land relatives are the elephant and the hyrax (a small, gopher-sized mammal). Manatees are believed to have evolved from a wading, plant-eating animal. The West Indian manatee is related to the West African manatee, the Amazonian manatee, the dugong, and to the Steller's sea cow (which was hunted to extinction in 1768).
There are approximately 3,000 West Indian manatees left in the United States. West Indian manatees have no natural enemies, and it is believed they can live 60 years or more. Many manatee deaths are human-related, most from collisions with watercraft. (That means they get hit by boats!)
One thing I know for sure is that they are very, very slow moving mammals. I got to see some at Sea World (San Diego) and they were as slow as turtles! The only reason they moved, it seems like, was for food! (But I can't seem to recall their names.) But I do remember that one had a white star-shaped scar on its rear from a boat strike.
Elaine has a couple of scars herself. Elaine is my adopted manatee! (My step-dad Andy adopted her for me for Christmas.) I don't really own her at my house (because the bathtub isn't big enough!). She usually stops by a place called Blue Springs State Park in Florida. Elaine was born September 12th, 1985. Her mother was Emma; sadly, Emma was found dead in Shell Creek (about 4 miles from Blue Springs) in July 1986. Elaine's brothers were also killed when she was young. Elaine is now a mother herself. She had her first calf, Ester, was born in 1990; in 1993, she had another daughter, Elsie; in 1995, Elaine brought another new calf to Blue Springs, but the park rangers were unable to identify if the calf was male or female. And that's about all that I know about her. Other than she has the same name as my Great-Grandma Elaine! There is a picture of my manatee Elaine at the top of this post.
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