November Is Manatee Awareness Month

One of my dreams is to see Manatees. For some reason these giant sea creatures are just so cool. In the United States one is most likely to see them in Florida… but maybe it is time for a little road trip to West India and some of the subtropical waters around the Caribbean.

November is National Manatee Awareness Month. A month to celebrate and learn about these gentle giants. Manatees were recently taken off the endangered list but are still threatened by what else, habitat loss and man.

I Just Got To Eco You

6,620 Florida manatees and 6,300 Antillean manatees  live in the wild (Estimated) As of Dec. 2018 Florida changed the numbers to 7,500 to 10,300 manatees .

3 types of Manatees: Florida Manatee, the West African Manatee, and the Amazonian Manatee. There is also a Dwarf Manatee, which is being debated.

67 Years is the oldest living manatee known to man. Snooty has been living in an aquarium for that long.

2018: 779 Manatee Deaths. Higher numbers are attributed to the red tide

2017:  538 manatees died according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

2017: 121 Manatees died due to red tide in Florida. (Suspected)

2017:  107 manatees died from boat strikes in Florida last year, with 98 so far this year, according to the FWC.

2013 830 Manatee’s died.

2010: 766 manatees killed, nearly 300 of them by an extended period of very cold weather.

Resources

Save the Manatee Club.

Manatee World