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By Times staff writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 12, 2001
DESCRIPTION: West Indian manatees are large, gray-brown aquatic mammals with bodies that taper to a flat, paddle-shaped tail. They have two flippers with three to four nails on each, and their head and face are wrinkled with whiskers on the snout. The manatee's closest relative is the elephant and hyrax (a small furry animal that resembles a rodent). Manatees are thought to have evolved from a wading, plant-eating animal. The West Indian manatee is related to the West African manatee, the Amazonian manatee, the dugong and Stellar's sea cow, which was hunted to extinction in 1768. The average adult manatee is about 10 feet long and weighs about 1,000 pounds.
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, West Indian 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. West Indian manatees can also be found in the coastal and inland waterways of Central America and along the northern coast of South America, although distribution in these areas may be spotty.
BEHAVIOR: Manatees are gentle and slow-moving. Most of their time is spent eating, resting and in travel. Manatees are herbivorous. They eat aquatic plants and can consume 10-15 percent of their body weight daily. They graze for food along water bottoms and on the surface. They may rest at the bottom or just below the surface coming up to breathe on the average of every three to five minutes.
LIFESPAN, MORTALITY, POPULATION: West Indian manatees have no natural enemies, and it is thought they can live 60 years or more. Many manatee mortalities are human-related. Most human-related manatee deaths occur from collisions with watercraft. Other causes of human-related manatee deaths include being crushed or drowned in canal locks and flood control structures; ingestion of fish hooks, litter and monofilament line; entanglement in crab trap lines and vandalism. Ultimately, however, loss of habitat is the most serious threat facing manatees today. There are approximately 2,600 manatees left in the United States.
BREEDING AND REPRODUCTION: The reproductive rate for manatees is slow. Female manatees are not sexually mature until 5 years old and males are mature at about nine years of age. It is thought that one calf is born every two to five years. The gestation period is about 13 months. Mothers nurse their young for a long period and a calf may remain dependent on its mother for up to two years.
LEGAL PROTECTION: West Indian manatees in the United States are protected under federal law by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which make it illegal to harass, hunt, capture or kill any marine mammal. West Indian manatees also are protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978, which states: "It is unlawful for any person at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass or disturb any manatee." Anyone convicted of violating Florida's state law faces a possible maximum fine of $1,000 and/or imprisonment for up to 60 days. Conviction on the federal level is punishable by a fine of up to $50,000 and or one year in prison.
- Source: Save the Manatee Club