Manatees

 

This week I want to talk about another special mammal, the Manatee. Mammals are warm-blooded creatures that breathe air, have fur or hair, and feed their young with milk. Most live on land, but some like whales, dolphins and manatees live in rivers or oceans. There are manatees that live around Florida, the Caribbean, India, the Amazon, and West Africa. They are called by other names around the world. In Australia there is a related “cousin” of the manatee called the dugong.  They look a lot like the manatee, but have a different shaped tail.

Manatees are often called “sea cows” because they like to graze on sea grass growing in the warm shallow waters. They only eat plants so it is important for us to protect the sea grass beds where they live. They can hold their breath for 20 minutes while they feed on the grasses.

They can get up to 13 feet long (that’s twice as long as your dad if he laid in the grass) and can weight over 1200 lbs. That’s really heavy! A baby manatee weighs about 60 lbs. at birth. That’s as big as a second grader! They have cute whiskers, gray wrinkly skin, and a cute snout. Manatees can live for up to 60 years.

Manatees are usually solitary, which means they like to be by themselves, but you can often see mothers with their babies, called calves, feeding in the shallows. In winter they can group together in warmer spring-fed rivers. They need water that is above 60 degrees.

Manatees do not really have any natural predators. The biggest danger to manatees are boat propellers. Many are killed every year by being struck by boats. Others have scars on their backs that show they were run over. If you are ever in a boat where manatees live, please drive carefully. You don’t want to hurt one. They are gentle creatures who just want to eat in peace.

Here is a cute video of Manatees!

 

Well that all for today!

Love Papaw.