Magnificent Manatees
Everyone has seen a cow leisurely grazing in a wide open pasture. But less folks have seen the sea cow, a manatee, nibbling on sea grass. Count student Charlie H. as one of the lucky few. After filming manatees on vacation, he has become an advocate for the protection of these magnificent creatures.
manatee - Charlie.mp4Charlie H. took this footage while on vacation at Florida Bay in Key Largo, inspiring him to want to protect manatees.
By Charlie H.
Manatees are important to me. The manatee, which is nicknamed “The Sea Cow" is a vegetarian so it likes to munch on seagrass, alligator weed, water celery, and other types of food. Manatees can be found in shallow, slow-moving bodies of water and coastal areas — particularly where seagrass beds or freshwater vegetation grow.
It does not have many predators because most of the bigger animals live in deeper water. The occasional crocodile or great white shark will eat it if it wanders into deeper water to find food, but that is very rare.
Their biggest threat is us, humans! We have to stop polluting the oceans because it harms the manatees. Do you want these little… well big (but harmless) guys gone? Luckily conservation efforts have raised their numbers, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2017, the manatee was down-listed from Endangered to Threatened on the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. However, the slow-moving mammals still face a lot of threats, including water pollution, collisions with boats, and habitat loss.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/animal/manatee
