Manatees

I get it, Florida is controversial. The Californians think Florida is full of gun loving, alligator wrestling weirdos and would never set foot here, except for maybe a bachelorette party in Miami. Californians are also not really fond of any place in the US that is outside of California, except…

Now that RGP is based in Florida, I feel obligated to give you a synopsis of local Florida wildlife. As the title suggests, today we’re going with Manatees, also knows as sea cows. Because of their appearance. The beautiful, majestic Manatee is most closely related to elephants and hyrax (never…

I have worked at Defenders of Wildlife to conserve and recover Florida manatees for nearly two decades. And after a lot of devastating news recently about this vulnerable species, I was thrilled to see a healthy-looking manatee while I was on a walk in my neighborhood. I enjoy seeing manatees…

I wrote my Welcome and Goodbye songs to incorporate the concept of a special story time on the island, because my library is on Anna Maria Island. I couldn’t resist adding a manatee into the song, since we are in Manatee County, FL, and it’s very common to see wild manatees in the bay and canals here. I usually have my stuffed manatee help me sing the songs, which gets the kids excited. Both songs are sung to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell” and are short and easy for kids and parents to memorize.

Part 2: Bad Ass Environmentalist Takes on Florida I sat motionless as the lean gray and white speckled body, nearly the length of my kayak slowly dove below me. Her small calf following her. A tear dripped down my cheek, hidden behind my sunglasses. I wish they were tears of joy. In all my years of water exploration…

The West Indian manatee, Trichechus manatus Linnaeus, the endangered species that was once a great conservation success story, is once again facing threats from humans that leave the future of the species in doubt. During the 1990s the manatee population in Florida dropped to just over 1,000. The slow moving…

Check out more at https://mybiologyexperience.com/ Manatees are the Pandas of the ocean. Their large rounded bodies make them look like they are your friends of the ocean. This is in fact true too! Manatees are of no danger to swimmers because of their docile nature and their pure herbivore diet…

One thing that my career as a wildlife videographer is teaching me: People love manatees. After almost a decade, the above “Manatee Manners” remains one of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s most-watched YouTube videos. Tourists from all over the world plan their vacations specifically for manatee encounters. Volunteers…