The Manatee Facts
Manatees are large sized marine mammals, also known as sea cows. The term ‘manati’ is derived from the Tainos, a language used by the pre-Columbian people of the Carribbeans meaning, ‘breast’.
Manatee origin and anatomy
The manatees belong to one of the four living species in the order Sirenia, who are believed to have evolved 60 million years ago from four-legged land mammals. These marine mammals weigh somewhere between 400 to 550 kilograms and their body length ranges from 2.8 to 3 meters in length. Their large flexible upper lip acts as a shortened trunk, similar to that of an elephant. Manatees use this upper lip to gather food, carry out social interactions and also to communicate. The adult have a set of cheek teeth which is continuously replaced throughout life. They have a paddle shaped tail distinguishing them from their counterparts, the dugongs.
Manatee behavior
A manatee spends half of the day sleeping underwater, occasionally raising its head above the water for breathing in air. The average swimming speed of manatees is 5 to 8 kilometers per hour. However they can swim up to a speed of 30 kilometers per hour as well. Manatees are usually slow-moving and placid creatures. They strictly follow an herbivorous diet feeding on submerged plants of the water which include turtle grass, various species of algae, water hyacinths and mangrove leaves.
Manatee habitat
Manatees can be found in slow moving waters, estuaries, saltwater bays and other coastal areas that have a large concentration of freshwater vegetation. They can be found in the waters of West Indies, United States, Arab Waters and other parts of the world. Some varieties of manatees such as the Florida manatee are migratory in nature.
Manatee breeding
These marine mammals have a generally slow reproductive rate. Some females do not mature sexually until five years of age. Males attain the same maturity at approximately seven years of age. One calf is born in every two years and the birth of twins is very rare. A calf is nurtured by its mother for one or two years after its birth.
Vocalizations in manatees
Vocalizations in manatees comprise forms of whistles, chirps and squeaks. They make use of the vocalization to express fear, anger pain or when they are sexually aroused. They even have the adaptability to hear infrasonic sound frequencies below 20 hertz. A manatee can live up to a sixty years.
Threat to manatees
Manatees do not have any predators as such apart from human beings who traditionally hunted these mammals for their meat. This slow-moving creature has led to many ship collisions resulting in the death of many of their species. The ones that manage to survive develop deep scars on their bodies. The cuts on their bodies sometimes lead to serious infection which can prove fatal for the manatees. They are even vulnerable to red tides.
The World Conservation Union lists the manatee as vulnerable to extinction. Under the federal Florida law, it is illegal to hunt or harm a manatee. Hunting a manatee was outlawed in Brazil in 1973 though ship attacks on manatees still continue to be common.
Manatees in folklore
The manatee has been linked to folklore. It is believed that the concept of mermaid came from these creatures. In West African folklore the manatee was considered sacred and was believed to have been human beings once; so killing them were a taboo which required penance.