Manatee Blues (11 page)
Authors: Laurie Halse Anderson
Key Lime nuzzles his way along the side of her head and down her right side. Violet lifts her right flipper. Key Lime noses his way to her nipple and starts to nurse. She’s feeding him!
I tug on Gretchen’s arm and point. The crowd quiets, Carlos stops talking, and everyone turns to stare. The orphaned calf and his foster mother float together peacefully.
I bring my camera up to my face and quickly adjust the focus for the best picture of Florida.
Click!
BY J.J. MACKENZIE, D.V.M.
Wild World News
—Florida manatees are the most endangered coastal marine mammals. Researchers think there are fewer than 3,000 of them left, and we’re losing 10 percent of the manatee population every year.
In order to save them, we first have to understand them. Studying these large mammals is a challenge. Because they are endangered, manatees cannot be captured for the sole purpose of study. So a lot of what we know about manatees comes from observing the animals while they are recuperating from life-threatening injuries at rescue or rehab centers. Teams of researchers also study them in the wild, but they are careful to keep their distance and not disturb the manatees’ environment.
Now hear this.
Knowing how manatees hear might be the key to saving them from boat strike injuries. Because manatees communicate in high-pitched noises, researchers suspect that they don’t pick up the low-pitched noise made by a boat engine until the boat is very close. That may explain why some manatees can’t get out of the way in time to avoid a collision.
Curious creatures.
Manatees are very curious. When they see a strange object in the water, they naturally want to inspect it, play with it, and in the case of fishing line or rope, even floss their teeth with it! But their curiosity often gets them into trouble. They become entangled in fishing nets or lines, eat trash that may kill them, or become exposed to harmful pollution or waste.
A hazardous habit.
Manatees like to scratch their skin by rubbing against rocks, floating branches, ropes, and the bottoms of boats. They might be doing this to leave their scent so other manatees know they’ve been there. Or they might be doing it because it feels
good. Whatever the reason, this habit is dangerous because it brings manatees to the surface where boats may be.
Nature calls.
Of course, manatees also die from natural causes. If the water gets too cold, they go into hypothermic shock and die. A few years ago, an algae bloom called
red tide
killed several hundred manatees by poisoning their nervous systems.
Locating and keeping track of the number of manatees is very important. Researchers observe migration patterns, make notes about new calves, track rehabilitated manatees, and take regular population counts.
Tiny bubbles.
Some researchers use equipment called a
hydrophone
—a type of underwater microphone—to track manatees under the water. With their diet of vegetation and their superlong intestines, manatees produce a large amount of gas. When it’s released, it creates a lot of tiny bubbles in the water. Scientists use the hydrophone to listen for the bubbles. And where there are bubbles, there will likely be manatees!
Show you scars.
Once manatees are located, scientists try to identify them. Researchers can tell manatees apart by the scars they have from boat accidents. This “scar catalogue” is constantly being updated with pictures taken by researchers and volunteers. The catalogue is an important tool for tracking manatees and learning more about them.
Phone home.
Some manatees wear a tracking device fastened around their peduncles. Signals from the device are sent to satellites orbiting the earth. Scientists receive the satellite information and can track where the manatees are swimming. This teaches us about migratory paths, activity habits, and where manatees like to live.
Playtime.
By tracking their migration patterns, researchers have learned that manatees are semi-social animals. Except for hanging out with their mothers when they are young, manatees spend most of the year alone. This changes in the wintertime, when manatees
gather together in warm springs, sometimes in groups of 100 or more. During these gatherings the manatees “play” together. They nuzzle each other, play follow-the-leader, and bodysurf. In follow-the-leader, the pack mimics the lead manatee exactly. They twist, dive, roll, and come up for a breath one right after another, squeaking and chirping.
Researchers and volunteers work hard to help manatees, but humans are still the manatees’ biggest threat. The warm waters that shelter manatees also attract people who build houses close to the water and drive motorboats. Boat strikes cause many manatee injuries and death. Much work is being done to educate boaters and residents about the dangers they pose to manatees, but there’s still a long way to go.
Even if you’ve never seen a manatee before, you can help protect these gentle giants by joining the Save the Manatee Club. The club (SMC) sponsors the very popular Adopt-a-Manatee
®
program. When you adopt a manatee, you will receive a photo of your manatee, an adoption certificate, information about manatees, and the club newsletter. Your adoption fee will be used to help pay for research, rehabilitation, and education programs. For more information, contact:
Save the Manatee Club
500 North Maitland Avenue
Maitland, FL 32751
