Florida Manatees
For me, growing up in South Florida was so cool because I was able to do all kinds of fun things in the ecosystem. I was able to get up close and play with lots of different animals in the everglades. I am one of those people that love to get close and interact with the many types of animals that the everglades have to offer. I believe that we should not be afraid to go out and get close to nature. This story will focus on manatees. In other stories that I have written, you may have read about my swimming with alligators or playing with snakes in the everglades. So it should come of no surprise that upon seeing a manatee, the first thing that comes to my mind is to go swim with it.
When you hear of the everglades, you may hear that there are manatees living there. Remember, when someone say’s "everglades," they may mean the river of grass, the cypress forest, or the mangrove forest. I just say, "everglades region." Manatees do not live on the river of grass; the water there is too shallow.
Manatees arrive in the everglades from the Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean. They swim as far inland as they can, using the natural channels that lead from the coast. In South Florida, most channels do not come far enough inland, and the manatees have to turn back. From Central Florida to the north, the rivers stretch far inland and are much deeper than those of South Florida.
Also, manatees like to use the artificial cooling channels that lead from electrical plants to the natural rivers. The electrical plants discharge warm water that manatees like. The manatee population seems to be growing. In Florida, it used to be said that there were only 2,000 or less manatees, but recent studies have suggested that there are more manatees now than ever. I believe that the manatee slow zones have been a big factor as manatees move slowly through the water. However, if startled, manatees can move quickly. When manatees are in the area, you will know it because they come to the top of the water to take a breath of air. A manatee will come up and blow out the air in its lungs, and this makes a loud hissing noise.
Manatees are large gentle animals but very slow, and sometimes they do not know that danger is close by. Now and then, manatees are run over by speeding boats. On the backs of some manatees, you can see marks as proof of that. In some cases, the propeller cuts can prove to be fatal to a manatee.
Manatees can catch pneumonia in the cold weather, and this is one of the biggest manatee killers. When cold weather comes, manatees head inland through rivers that lead to springs. The water from the spring stays at about 68 degrees all year round. These springs are a great place for the manatees to stay while the weather is cold. Also, the springs are a great place to bring their babies to keep them warm.
Manatees are social animals. They can be seen in large pods swimming together. There are times when they will split up, and you may see just one manatee or just a mother and her calf swimming alone. In the winter, they will come together in pods and swim to the springs for warmth. Manatees are an endangered species in Florida.
Just recently, a manatee was in the Tamiami Canal in front of Gator Park. My friends at Safari Park Airboat Tours (3 miles west of Gator Park) called me and said that there was a manatee in the canal. I was skeptical, and I asked if they were sure it was a manatee so far inland. It was a dumb question because these are my best friends, and they would not tell me something that was not true. So, I went down there, and sure enough, it was a manatee.
Two days later, I saw something strange in the canal at Gator Park and went to take a closer look. It was the manatee. I ran back to my house to get my snorkeling gear, but by the time I got back, the manatee was gone. This manatee was trapped in the inland canal 30 miles from the ocean. We just figured it had come through an open water gate (water lock between the fresh water and the salt water).
One of the best places to see manatees is in the inland water way at Wooten’s Airboat Tours on the west side of the Tamiami Trail. My best friend, Greg Patterson and I used to canoe the wilderness waterway from Flamingo to Everglades City. On some of our trips, we would see manatees. Sometimes, we would see pods of manatees, and then other times, we would see a mother and a calf or just a lone manatee. Way back then (in the mid 70’s), we would jump right in the water with them. Now, if you get in the water with a manatee, you could be fined or even end up in jail.
There are so many people who do not live in wilderness areas, and they think that interacting with manatees will stress them. I do not believe that getting close to wild animals stresses them. I try to interact with wild animals whenever I can. I do not believe that people who read about animals can understand that the animals really do no mind hanging with us "the dominant species." Greg and I just loved being able to swim with manatees. It is so hard to explain the thrill of getting close to an animal so big and so gentle. As the manatee swims close to you, it takes your breath away. As the manatee swims close, it gets so big, and your heart starts to pound. Then, you realize how gentle the manatee is, and you start to relax and have fun just being close to such an awesome animal.
There seems to be to so many organizations (so called animal rights groups) that want to make rules to keep us away from manatees and from interacting with them as well as with other animals. As far as I am concerned, that is not fair to people like me who understand wild animals and who want to get near them.
I do believe that large groups of people should not move-in on or surround any wild animal because that will make the animal nervous. When that happens, an animal could hurt someone as they try to get away from the crowd. Some manatees that Greg and I tried to get near moved away. Also, there were many times that the manatee would try to get close to Greg and I and would even try to rub on our canoe. Manatees do touch each other and rub up against one another. I have met manatees that just love to be scratched, and they liked it when we would rub them. I always had so much fun playing with manatees.
Remember, do not be afraid to go out and see wild animals. Just remember to stay a safe distance away, and give any wild animal plenty of room to leave the area if they are freighted of you.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING MY STORIES AND I WILL SEE YOU NEXT MONTH GATORMAN
PS. If any of my stories can help you with anything for education (a grade, class project, or a science fair) just e-mail me, and I will give you permission to use the story. All I ask is that you e-mail me back, and tell me what grade you got or if the class liked my story THANK YOU!!!!
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