A Closer Look at the Endangered Manatee
Endangered: Manatee
Species: U. maritimus
Class: Mammalia
Order: Trichechidae
Species: 4 classes: Trichechus inunguis, Trichechus manatus, Trichechus senegalensis, Trichechus bernhardi
Numbers: The Florida Manatee (T. manatus) population numbers range between 2,000 and 3,000. The Amazonian Manatee (T. inunguis) and African Manatee (T. senegalensis) little is know about their numbers as they population umbers are dwindling fast
Habitat and Range: Manatees can be found in shallow, slow-moving rivers, estuaries, saltwater bays, canals and coastal areas. Manatees are a migratory species. Within the United States, manatees are concentrated in Florida in the winter, but can be found in summer months as far west as Alabama and as far north as Virginia and the Carolinas.
The Amazonian Manatee (T. inunguis) can also be found in the coastal and inland waterways of Central America and along the northern coast of South America where they are found along the Amazon River and its tributaries
The African Manatee (T. senegalensis) can range anywhere from the Senegal River south to the Kwanza River in Angola, including areas in Gambia, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, and Democratic Republic of the Congo
Food: Manatees are herbivores and eat over 60 different plant species such as mangrove leaves, turtle grass, and types of algae. Some Manatees have been known to eat small amounts of fish. In Florida they are known as the Sea Cow because they graze on the sea floor plant life.
These animals were once misunderstood as scary creatures and were once hunted in the Amazon and Caribbean to near extinction. But due to changing sentiment, society has changed their perception of a once ugly creature to a cute and comical animal. People in society are just now realizing the playfulness of these animals who just love to swim around all day and graze all day long. They are very gentle creatures with no natural enemies and bear no brunt on society.
One of the most misunderstood animals in the world is the manatee. For years many people were threatened by them and little was done to protect them and they were hunted and slaughtered for no good reason. Humans have polluted and wrecked their natural habitat and because they are not thought of as a traditionally cute animal, little was done to protect them.
Of all the species that are on the endangered species list, the Manatee population can be raised if people were more self-conscious about their surroundings. Every year, the main threat to manatees in the United States is being struck with boats or struck with propellers. People have been careless and neglect to abide the boating laws in Florida and this has been the main reason for the decline of the manatees. If people would just think of something else other than themselves the manatee’s population would be saved. This wonderful animal can be saved if people would just turn off their boat motors and not drive so fast within their feeding grounds.
On June 8, 2006, The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted to reclassify the manatee on Florida’s list, to a “threatened” status in that state. While none of the state laws protecting manatees have changed, many wildlife conservationists are not pleased with the removal decision. Manatees remain classified as “endangered” at the federal level.
The work is still not done yet folks.
Manatee conservation exposure has been attributed (mistakenly) by NBC late Night show host Conan O’Brian.
Conan O’Brian the NBC late night talk show host mention the URL horny manatee on the air. Little to his knowledge any site that is mention on the air must be an actual website. Conan slipped up and apparently and mentioned a fake domain. After Conan O’Brien referenced the then-nonexistent website during a “New College Mascots” skit NBC was forced to either buy the domain name or cut the line from the broadcast. NBC had to buy the site domain for 159 dollars/10 year contract due to legal reasons and Horny Manatee got 1.5 million hits on it’s first week alone.
Since then Conan O Brian has actually raised the profile of the Manatee and profits the site generates goes back to the Save the Manatee Foundation.
www.hornymanatee.com
