Manatee Research Paper

Manatees are a highly talked about animal in our society today due to the fact that they love to reside in shallow waters along the coast of Florida, thus exposing the top of their bodies to possibly getting hit by boaters. This has sparked a heated debate as to what actions should and shouldn't be taken to protect the West Indian Manatee. Manatees are unique among marine animals because they reside in both fresh water and salt water. It seems as though they prefer rivers with true grasses, or calm environments where there are many sea grasses to eat and accessible sources of fresh water. All manatees have a broad back, no dorsal fin, and a small head. Their body color is gray but since they are always residing around areas with and
When the weather warms up they can range as far north as Rhode Island and as far west to the Gulf Coast past Louisiana. During the winter they reside in Florida seeking comfort in the warm water or near industrial facilities that discharge heat into the water. Another type of manatee called the Antillean manatee resides in Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and also along the Atlantic coast and up rivers of Central and South America, south to Brazil. These animals different from the Florida manatee will visit offshore freshwater springs, in order to probably
The most pressing human-related threat to manatees is injury and death resulting from collisions with watercraft. In 2000, at least 78 manatees were killed by watercraft. Another important threat is loss of reliable warm water habitats that allow manatees to survive the cold in winter. Natural springs are threatened by increased demands for water supply and aging power plants may need to be replaced. Deregulation of the power industry may also result in less reliable man-made sources of warm water. Sea grass and other aquatic foods that manatees depend on are affected by water pollution and sometimes direct