This animal is one of the cutest animals I have ever set my eyes on. The manatee is often refereed to as the "sea cow". There are 3 different species of manatee two which live in the fresh waters of Africa, and one that inhabits the shallow, marshy coastal areas and rivers of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. These sea cows show understanding of discrimination tasks, and show signs of complex learning and long term memory, their intelligence level is similar to dolphins. The manatees diet consists of over 60 different plant species that grow in the warm waters. The manatee has very few natural predators, other than man. Manatee's are often hit by speedboats, that are zipping through their shallow marsh homes. Slow moving, and curious nature along with desnly developed coastal region is a big factor in this. This happens so often that scientists and other people identify different manatees from the scars along their backs. For this reason and more, the 3 species of manatee is listed in the World Conservation Union as Vulnerable to go extinct. There are many different organizations working with the manatees to bring their population to a more stable place. Boats are now being built that are souly propelled by water jets to protect the animals from harm. Steps have been taken to help these animals, and there are many more that need help. Do your research and see what you can do.
It's good that people are now realizing the beauty and intellegence of these creatures and are trying to help protect them.
ReplyDeletePs. I will admit I learned a fe things about Manatees today, thanks!
Wow, they're so adorable, they look like big underwater dogs :)
ReplyDeletethat's awful that they're being hit with boats in their marshy homes, though!