Save The Manatees

This web page is here to help you learn about the manatee. The manatee is sometimes referred to as the sea cow. This is because, like cows, they are vegetarians and only feed on plant life found in the ocean. A manatee can consume 10-15% of its body weight in vegetation daily. They are harmless happy creatures swimming through the oceans and are mostly found in warm climates such as Florida and California. There are approximately 3,000 West Indian manatees left in the United States. West Indian manatees are large, gray-brown aquatic mammals with bodies that taper to a flat, paddle-shaped tail. They have two flippers with three to four nails on each, and their head and face are wrinkled with whiskers on the snout. The manatee's closest relative is the elephant and hyrax (a small furry animal that resembles a rodent).The average adult manatee is about 10 feet long and weighs about 1,000 pounds.

West Indian manatees have no natural enemies, and it is believed they can live 60 years or more. Many manatee mortalities are human-related. Most human-related manatee mortalities occur from collisions with watercraft. Other causes of human-related manatee mortalities include being crushed and/or drowned in canal locks and flood control structures; ingestion of fish hooks, litter and monofilament line; entanglement in crab trap lines; and vandalism. Ultimately, however, loss of habitat is the most serious threat facing manatees today. The reproductive rate for manatees is slow. Female manatees are not sexually mature until five years old, and males are mature at approximately nine years of age. It is believed that one calf is born every two to five years; twins are rare. The average size of a manatee calf is two and a half feet long. The gestation period is approximately 13 months. Mothers nurse their young for a long period and a calf may remain dependent on its mother for up to two years.

Unfortunately the manatees are becoming extinct due to man's lack of responsibility for these creatures and the waters they inhabit. Boat propellers injure many manatees. Manatees like to hang out by the surface of the water and sunbathe. Boaters that don't follow the no-wake precautions entering and leaving the bays where these manatees swim run the risk of cutting these poor defenseless animals up.If you would like to find out more about these loveable animals and what you can do to help them, we suggest you check out the Save-The-Manatees Club web page and the Sea World webpage.

West Indian manatees in the United States are protected under federal law by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which make it illegal to harass, hunt, capture, or kill any marine mammal. West Indian manatees are also protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978 which states: "It is unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb any manatee." Anyone convicted of violating Florida's state law faces a possible maximum fine of $1,000 and/or imprisonment for up to 60 days. Conviction on the federal level is punishable by a fine of up to $50,000 and/or one year in prison.

A few things that we can do to preserve the sanctity of these animals is to learn about them through observation. By looking and not touching combined with no feeding of these marine mammals, the existence of the manatee is more probable. Another key element to the preservation of the manatees is proper waste disposal including discarding fishing line and hooks accordingly. Finally, the main step that the state of Florida is taking is the boater safety requirement, which teaches boaters to share the water with the animals.

To see a full text bibliography and related links to this page, click here

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