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Florida Manatee
Trichechus Manatus
Fun Facts! -Manatees are about 9-10 feet long and can wiegh up to 1,000 pounds! -Manatees have three fingernails on each flipper -Manatees are known as "sea cows". -Manatees can stay underwater for 10-15 minutes before coming back up for air.
Manatees live in lot's of environments. From brackish and salty waters to clear and fresh water. A manatee tends to live in places with seagrass and many other vegetation for its diet. You probably will not see a Florida Manatee out in deep waters. They tend to enjoy more shallow waters. They do this because more food is found in the shallower waters.
The Florida Manatee is a herbivore, therefore eats only vegetation. Manatees will eat up to 4% to 9% their body weight. Some of the vegetation that manatees eat are branches hanging in the water, acorns, and leaves from mangrove trees. To reach the food, manatees will use there flippers to help push it into their mouth.
Florida Manatees give birth to one calf every two to five years. It is lucky to have twins. Most calves will stay with their mother for about two years. Unlike other animals, manatees need to stay with a mother for a while in order to survive. Manatees are mammals so do not give birth to eggs unlike reptiles.
The Florida Manatee is currently on Florida's Endangered Species list. Many were killed by cold water temperatures and boat collisions. Those are two causes that used to be the worst. The human caused problems are things like poaching, harassing, entanglement in floodgates and fishing line, litter and vandalism. Those are just the human caused problems. They also face things like cold water, red tide, and disease.
Florida Manatees have practically no defensive power. They do not travel in herds so when a predator comes, they are on there own. The only real protection or defense of The Florida Manatee is to stay in shallow water. "It is less likely that the predator can drag them under the water for longer than the 15 minutes." (http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4567408_manatees-protect-themselves.html)
Manatees are a help to humanity. They are not pests in any way. Removing them would make a large change here in FLorida. The Florida Manatee helps to control vegetation that can clog waterways. It can also help make fertilizer by passing the vegetation back out. They also help out a little with our economy! Tourists will come down to Florida to see the Manatees helping us greatly.
Food Source and Diet
Pest or Helping Hand?
Defensive Action
Habitat
Endangered Species
Nesting
A mother and calf communicating
