Manatees – Like a Swimming Elephant
What weighs over a ton, is the closest living relative to an elephant, and may be as smart as dolphins? The much lesser known manatee.
Mostly found in Florida or other warm water habitats such as the Antilles, manatees can live for up to 60 years in the wild, and, surprisingly, they continue to grow throughout their entire lives. They typically move at a relaxing 2-3 miles/hour, and spend much of their lives eating and resting in warm waters around 12 feet deep or less. According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Joyce Kleen, manatees, though dumb-looking to the unschooled human eye, are actually extremely intelligent – perhaps as intelligent as seals and dolphins – and they also have razor-sharp hearing and vision skills.
These gentle mammals used to be highly endangered but have slowly staged a comeback thanks to stricter regulations. But they are still at risk from coastal developments and from speeding boats. According to Nick Jans of Defenders of Wildlife, “a majority of adult manatees bear the scars of repeated, often gruesome maiming from hulls and propellers; some dead animals show evidence of having survived more than 50 collisions. . . Some manage to live with ribs or even parts of organs protruding through their skin.” For these reasons, the 2007 U.S. Geological Survey reported that manatees stand a shockingly high 55% of declining to only 500 individual manatees throughout the entire Florida and Gulf Coast within the next century if current boating and warm water refuge loss stay the same, and these chances rise to 95% if Florida continues to “enjoy” population increases (which is highly expected as the baby boomers retire).
As a state, Florida has stepped up its manatee awareness programs – including instructional videos, boaters’ guides, speed zone signs, and educational outreach. Now you know the next time you see a swimming elephant in Florida, give it a little space.
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This is so sad. People need to show better stewardship of God’s creatures.