The Florida manatee is just barely hanging on and while census taking is nearly impossible it is believed there are just over 2000 of the aquatic mammals still plying the waters of the sunshine state.  A recent study by the U.S, /geological Survey indicates that “In the absence of any new management action…the situation is dire with no chance of recovery criteria within 100 years.”  The World Conservation Union lists manatees as “vulnerable to extinction.”
                        
                         image via wikipedi

While the manatee has few natural enemies (calves are vulnerable to alligators) more than 400 are killed each year by being struck with propeller blades from speeding pleasure boats.  These injuries result in infections that ultimately cause the animal’s death unless rescued.
                       
                        image via wikipedia

A recent study by the University of Florida showed more than half the boaters in one Florida county sped through marked manatee zones even thouh they said they supported  the endangered animals.  The study found 84 percent of responders said they slowed down in speed zones but observers noted that only 45 percent actually did.
                        
                         Crystal River State Refuge photo

Strict laws are in place regarding the harrassment of manatees.  They are protected under the Endangered Species Act so no grabbing, touching, feeding, surrounding or chasing is legal.  Limited number of conservation officers make it nearly imipossible to enforce such laws and the gentle, curious nature of the so-called gentle giants make them an inviting target for snorklers.

Aside from boat strikes, another problem is facing the manatee’s future–that of finding warm water during cold weather.  In a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, David Cottingham, Executive Director of the Marine Mammal Commission wrote, “One of the greatest threats facing the…long term survival of the Florida manatee is the potential impact of pending retirement of several power plants.  Two-thirds o the state’s manatees rely on the thermal discharge from those plants for warm water and upon their shutdown the animals will continue to linger, become exposed to cold water which will lead to stress-related deaths.  The commission would like to create a non-industry-dependent warm water refuge system heate by solar panels in cooperation with utility companies.
                        
                         image via wikipedia

The manatee is a herbivore with adults weighing between 900-1200 pounds and reaching a length of 10 feet.  Fossil remains suggest Florida ancestors date back 45 million years.  The oldest manatee in captivity is Snooty, born at the Miami Seaquarium in 1948 and now residing in Bradenton’s South Florida Museum.

Ancient mariners often mistook manatees for mermaids or sirens and folklore would have us believe that ships were often led onto rocks to their doom by these mistaken images.    This could also be attributed to the sailors’ long tenure at sea.