To protect wild animals, we must educate ourselves about their habitat, history, and behavior. Here are twenty facts about the rare Florida manatee.
1. The Florida manatee is not a species; rather, it is a subspecies of the West Indian manatee. The other subspecies is the Caribbean manatee, which is smaller than its Florida counterpart.
2. Florida manatees can live surprisingly long lives. Many manatees live to be sixty years old or more.
3. Manatees have no natural predators. Because they move slowly and have no natural defenses, they could be an easy target for alligators and sharks. Surprisingly, there are no recorded cases of any animal attacking a Florida manatee.
4. The Florida manatee population suffered a major setback in 1996, when toxins from dinoflagellates-- tiny red micro-organisms-- killed over 150 manatees in the coastal U.S.
5. The modern Florida manatee has lived along the coast of Florida for at least 1 million years. Fossils of manatee ancestors have been dated to 45 million years ago.
6. While manatees and dugongs vaguely resemble walruses, they are actually unrelated. The manatee's closest land-swelling relatives are the hyrax and the elephant.
7. Florida manatees can weigh nearly 1,500 pounds.
8. Like other mammals, Florida manatees must breathe air. A manatee will rise to the water's surface every three to five minutes, but they may rarely stay submerged for up to twenty minutes.
9. Manatees cruise at a rate of three to five miles per hour. They can swim at up to twenty miles per hour for very short periods of time.
10. About 30% of Florida manatee deaths are caused by collisions with boats. Boaters are encouraged to use extreme caution when traveling in waters populated by the Florida manatee.
11. The loss of habitat is the biggest threat to the current population of Florida manatees. Much of the Florida manatee's native habitat has been drained or otherwise altered to make room for commercial ventures and real estate.
12. A female manatee gives birth to a single calf every two to five years. Florida manatees rarely produce twins.
13. Manatees do not travel in pods or herds. With the exception of mothers caring for calves, manatees are solitary creatures.
14. A Florida manatee must eat 100-200 pounds of vegetation every day.
15. Florida manatees may be found in fresh, salt, or brackish water. However, they can not drink salt water. A manatee must return to fresh water every two weeks to drink.
16. Despite its "fat" appearance, the Florida manatee has no blubber. As a tropical species, they have very little body-fat; a manatee owes its rounded appearance to its large digestive system.
17. The word "manatee" comes from the indigenous Caribbean term "manati", meaning "breast".
18. The Florida manatee may have spawned myths about mermaids or sirens. Sailors could have seen them from a distance and mistaken them for round women.
19. Florida manatees are considered to be as intelligent as dolphins. Because they are nonsocial and move slowly, they are more difficult to train; this led to the widespread misconception that they are unintelligent.
20. Manatees once traveled to warm-water springs during winter to avoid cold stress syndrome-- a leading cause of death in the Florida manatee. Many populations now rely upon effluent from coastal power-plants to avoid becoming dangerously cold.