For my Environmental Literature and Legislation class we have to research an endangered animal and tomorrow turn in a one page report over its current state. I thought it would be more fun to type it all up in a blog post, so here is what I found:



I've seen West Indian Manatees a few times in the Gulf of Mexico when I visit Florida. Usually they poke up their noses out and flare their nostrils to breathe. Sometimes they are curious and raise their heads from the water. I observed the Manatees from a bridge and didn’t see the full extent of their bodies. West Indian Manatees are large aquatic mammals. On average, they are ten feet in length and can weight between 800 and 1,200 pounds. According to the research I've done and my observations from the bridges in Florida, Manatees are gentle and slow-moving animals. They swim at a pace of three to five miles, but have been known to reach speeds of twenty in short bursts. At their normal pace of three to five miles an hour, they meander through the ocean to graze on their completely vegetarian diet of aquatic plants. West Indian Manatees are herbivorous grazers that consume 15% of their body weight in vegetation daily.

To me, Manatees have very interesting migration patterns. They need warm waters to survive, so in the summer, they can be seen Florida’s rivers and coastal waters. A few have been sighted as far west as Texas and north as Virginia. In the winter, they migrate south and spend November though March primarily in Florida. To quote directly from my research “Water temperatures that fall below 21° C (70° F) cause manatees to move into warm water refuge areas. Scientists don’t know what cues manatees follow, but they seem to know when cold weather is coming and seek warm water areas.”

Manatees live in shallow, slow-moving rivers, bays, estuaries and coastal water ecosystems of the southeastern United States. Often they come into contact with humans. Many photographs show Manatees with deep gashes along their back. These gashes are caused by motorized boat’s propellers. As I mentioned earlier, Manatees swim at slow speeds and cannot easily move when they sense a boat approaching. The frequently collide with boats and are cut by the propellers. Many die from these accidents. Humans are cited to be responsible for 40% of all Manatee deaths. Manatees also die from ingesting fishhooks, litter, or becoming entangled in crab trap or monofilament line. Others find themselves trapped in a flood gate or canal lock and are crushed or drown. Yet hope is not lost. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission coordinate the rescues of injured Manatees. Once rescued, these Manatees are taken to rehabilitation centers to be cared for until they heal.