Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostrus)
WHAT IS AN AQUATIC MAMMAL? They breathe air; they have hair; they are
warm-blooded; they don’t lay eggs; and they DO give milk to their babies. “Aquatic” means that they live in the
water. Because they live in the water, they
are different from other mammals. Since
manatees stay in warmer waters, they don’t need fur.
Instead, they have whiskers. Their
thick layers of fat keep them warm enough. The
milk they give to their babies is very rich with fat, so the baby manatee can grow quickly
and stay warm. Manatees usually come to the
surface every 3-4 minutes to breathe fresh air. They
sleep on the bottom and float up every 20 minutes for a breath.
WHAT
DO MANATEES LOOK LIKE? Grown-up
manatees are about 10 feet long and weigh about 1,200 pounds. They never stop growing as long as they live! Their fat makes them heavy, but also helps them
float. Most mammal long bones have space
inside to make red blood cells, but manatee bones don’t. They are solid and heavy, which helps manatees sink
to the bottom to eat plants. Manatees have
tough, grayish-brown, wrinkled skin that feels like an elephant’s skin. Scientists say that long ago, manatees used to live
on the land and eat grass like elephants. Manatees
have toenails just like an elephant too. Also,
a manatee’s big nose is like a short trunk. Manatees
use their nose to grab plants and pull them into their mouth - just like an elephant! Of course, manatees and elephants are very
different. Since manatees live in the water
today, they don’t even have back legs. Instead,
they have a thick, paddle-like tail which helps them swim.
Their front flippers are used for steering and digging up plants to eat. Manatees have small eyes, and can’t see far in
muddy water. They can smell and hear very
well. Manatees communicate by making
high-pitched sounds, and leave messages by putting a scent on a rock for other manatees to
find.
WHAT
DO MANATEES EAT? They
are herbivores (UR-bi-vorz). This means they
only eat plants like manatee grass, turtle grass, hydrilla, water hyacinth, and water
lettuce. Sometimes small snails and water
animals will be eaten along with the grass accidentally.
This gives the manatees extra protein. Since
manatees eat over 150 pounds of grass a day, their teeth wear down quickly. Because of this, manatees are always growing in new
teeth in the back, so the old ones just fall out the front!
HOW DO MANATEES HANDLE COLD WEATHER? Florida manatees do not live in the same place all
year. When it is warm, they move into the
ocean or the Gulf of Mexico to eat sea grasses. In
cold weather, manatees must move to a spring, a place where warm water (72 degrees) comes
up out of the ground and makes a river. The
manatees stay there all winter long. Sometimes,
the food runs out before winter is over, and the manatees are hungry until the weather
warms up again. Manatees can live in salt
water or fresh water, but if they are in salt water too long, they must find fresh water
to drink. Sometimes they will drink from a
garden hose!
WHY AREN’T THERE MANY MANATEES? One kind of manatee, the Stellar Sea Cow, is
already extinct. Only about 2000 Florida
manatees are left around our state. Many live
in the St. Johns River. Manatees have babies
once every five years, so not many babies are born. Manatees
have no animal predators, but they are in danger from boats that can run over them in the
water. Other dangers to manatees are
pollution, cold weather (which can give them the flu), red tide (tiny water plankton which
poisons manatees and fish), and running out of food in the winter. We can help by not throwing trash in the water and
by driving boats slowly and carefully in manatee zones.
Also, we should never chase a manatee to try and pet it. We wouldn’t like it if someone was always
chasing us and trying to touch us. It is also
against the law to chase a manatee.
RESOURCES:
Bureau of Protected Species Management. "Manatee Anatomy Facts and Trivia." Http://www.dep. state.fl.us/psm/webpages/anatomy.htm. 1/3/98.
Courter Films. "’The Trouble With Manatees’ and ‘The Florida Water Story’ Information Home Page." Http://www.xtalwind.net/~cfa/6cradle.htm. 1/3/98.
Darling, Kathy. Manatee on Location. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1991.
Save the Manatee Club, Inc. "Manatee Myths and Facts." Http://www.objectlinks.com/ manatee/myths.htm. 1/3/98.
Save the Manatee Club. "West Indian Manatee Facts." Http://www.objectlinks.com/manatee/ manfcts.htm. 1/3/98.
Sea World. "Manatees." Http://www.bev.net/education/SeaWorld/manatee/manatees.html. 1/9/98.
Provided by the Pelotes Island
Nature Preserve
http://pelotes.jea.com