Wednesday, March 31, is National Manatee Appreciation Day, aimed at bringing the world’s attention to an herbivore with no known natural enemies – in the water, at least.
Also known as sea cows, manatees are a vulnerable species due to their contact with humans. Boating and pollution are their greatest threats.
Florida, contrarian that it is, designated November Manatee Awareness Month. But we’re going to put that aside because, hey, it’s National Manatee Appreciation Day and our publisher made us.
And, besides, Manatee Lagoon, north of Palm Beach, held its ManateeFest at the beginning of February, a five-day, free, and virtual manateeorama. So, technically they did it first.
“I don’t care who did it first. One more time and I’m turning this car around.”
As you all know, of course, manatees are of the scientific order, Sirenia, of which the well-known dugong is also a member. The two main differences between them are that dugongs are smaller than manatees and have a sillier name.
If you insist on going into more detail, any third grader can tell you that manatees have horizontal, paddle-shaped tails with only one lobe to move up and down when the animal swims. Dugongs, on the other hand, have a fluked tail, meaning it is made up of two separate lobes joined together in the middle.
Manatees also are distantly related to elephants, and I mean distantly. There may be some common DNA, chromosomes, genes, or whatever between the two species, but manatees are a distant enough cousin to the elephant that they’re not being invited to the annual pachyderm family picnic anymore.
The last time that happened one of the manatees embarrassed himself at the punch bowl. You can guess the rest.
I have my own theory about the whole elephant-manatee connection. Please pay attention. It will be on the test.
Millions of years ago, an elephant, or mammoth, or mastodon, or whatever, enjoyed being in the water, like modern-day elephants do. He or she gradually started walking out to deeper and deeper water and started using its trunk as a breathing tube.
As time evolved, it learned to hold its breath longer, its trunk got progressively shorter, and its legs shriveled up into flippers. Voila, the manatee!
But seriously, despite manatees having no natural enemies, except perhaps crocodiles preying on their young, the species is in danger.
According to a 2012 article on Web Ecology the main causes of death “are human-related issues, such as habitat destruction and human objects.”
“Their slow-moving, curious nature has led to violent collisions with propeller-driven boats and ships. Some manatees have been found with over 50 scars on them from propeller blades.”
“The best way to protect manatees is for the public to learn about their plight and how protecting them is in all our best interests if we care about healthy aquatic ecosystems,” says Patrick Rose, Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club.
“Whether passively observing the beauty of our waterways or actively engaged in water-related activities such as boating, fishing, or diving, we should understand our role as responsible stewards of manatees and their habitat and how we can help protect those things we hold dear.”
Manatee Lagoon (www.visitmanateelagoon.com) in Riviera Beach is a great place to see manatees. The lagoon is closed now because of the pandemic, but you can still access its live manatee cam at www.visitmanateelagoon.com/manatee-cam.