Manatee
Adaptations, instinct, and prey
Manatee Adaptations
Adaptations enable a manatee to conserve oxygen while under water. Manatees, like other marine mammals, have a slower heart rate while diving. In contrast to whales and dolphins, manatees are not deep-diving marine mammals.
Manatee Instincts
To swim, produce milk for their young, breathe, and eat.
Manatee Prey and Predators
Manatees are very gentle creatures and prey only on plants (watch out head of lettuce!).
Due to their gentle nature they do not have any natural predators even though they share the same habitat with sharks and alligators.
Although they do not occur naturally, as they do not share the same habitat, humans are the biggest predator for manatees and are causing many injuries and fatalities. Humans account for almost 39% of manatee deaths, where the cause of death is known. This includes deaths from watercraft, locks/canals, and other human related sources, such as discarded fishing line.
Manatees VS Boats
Taken Away from Their Young
The propeller cuts on the mother's back are being treated with medicine.
New Tail Fin
Many Florida manatees can be identified by the scars they bear from non-fatal encounters with boats.
Taken Away for Medical Care
Between 1976 and 2000, watercraft-related deaths accounted for 24 percent of the total West Indian manatee mortality.