Hello my fellow curious critters and welcome back to The Friendly Neighborhood Shark Lady. My inspiration for today’s post is a song that many millennials, like myself, who were raised on Veggie Tales hold near and dear to their hearts, “Endangered Love”, which showcases Larry’s devotion to Barbara Manatee. (If you haven’t heard it, go look it up on YouTube or Spotify. It’s honestly still a bop.) This song has been stuck in my head all day and I’m hoping that researching and writing about the magnificent manatee will help me evict the tune that has taken up residence in my brain. So grab a snorkel and some fins and dive on into the mystical world of the manatee.
Let’s start with the basics. There are three different species of manatee; the West Indian manatee, Amazonian manatee, and African manatee. The West Indian manatee can be found along the North American coast ranging from Florida to Brazil. The Amazonian manatee resides in the Amazon River while the African manatee prefers to call the rivers and west coast of Africa home. Manatees are aquatic mammals, meaning they live in the water but still have to come to the surface to breathe air. They are herbivores, preferring to eat water grasses, algae, and weeds. Typically, manatees live to be around 40 years old but have been known to live as long as 69 years in captivity. Manatees can reach lengths anywhere from 8-13 feet (2.5-3 meters) when they are fully grown.
Because manatees have to breathe air but live in the water full time, they have gotten really good at holding their breath. When they are resting, manatees can hold their breath for around 15 minutes. However, when they are more active, swimming around and munching on seagrass snacks, they can only hold their breath for 3-4 minutes. Speaking of being active, these guys cruise around swimming at around 5 miles per hour but can reach speeds of up to 15 miles per hour in short bursts. Manatees also aren’t super social animals. They can typically be found hanging out in groups of 6 or fewer individuals.
Something pretty cool about manatees is that they are considered a keystone species, meaning the ecosystem they live in would dramatically change if they were removed. In Florida, scientists use manatee behavior to identify environmental and habitat changes that otherwise may not have been noticed for a long period of time. This allows them to address any conservation or management problems more quickly and, hopefully, prevent more extensive environmental damage.
Manatees are rather large animals, typically weighing between 440-1,300 pounds, and move relatively slowly, so they are at high risk of being poached by hunters, getting tangled in fishing gear, and being struck by boats. They are long-lived and slow to reproduce. Females only produce one calf every 2-3 years. These factors combined landed manatees on the endangered species list for decades, but thanks to laws and other programs put into place, every species of manatee are now designated as vulnerable instead of endangered by the IUCN Red List. Unfortunately, their populations are still listed as decreasing, so there is still a lot of work to do to help these gentle giants recover, but we are moving in the right direction.
Thank you for coming by and learning with me today! I have always loved manatees, but I have never taken the time to actively learn about them. I really enjoyed learning more about these magnificent creatures today. What surprised you the most about manatees? Personally, I had no idea they lived so long! I hope I will see you all back here for more science fun soon.
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