God Bless You Little One by
Sandi
MANATEES are
strange, unique, and ethereal creatures. They like to float
in shallow waters, preferably amongst mangrove tree roots, as fairly
soliatry beings. They swim so slowly that some manatees grow moss on
their backs from chilling in still waters. They usually mull around at
the relaxing pace of 5 miles per hour, (but can shoot off at 15 miles
if need be). Manatees live in both fresh and salt water. They're
herbivores and eat over 60 different plants - talk about a varied
vegetarian diet!
THE ETYMOLOGY of the name is unclear, with
connections having been made to Latin manus (‘hand’), and to
a word – sometimes cited as manati – used by the Taíno, a
pre-Columbian people of the Caribbean, meaning "breast". Manatees'
other name, sea cows, comes from the fact that they are slow
plant-eaters, peaceful and similar to cows on land.
SERIOUSLY, manatees are literally so chill that they
don't even have any natural predators. Yet their population is
decreasing drastically, and they are now considered endangered. The main
causes of death for manatees are
human-related issues issues, such as habitat
destruction and human objects. Their slow-moving, curious nature has led
to violent collisions with propeller-driven boats and ships. Some
manatees have been found with over 50 scars on them from propeller
blades.
YOU CAN HELP protect manatees by contributing towards
public awareness and education projects, manatee research, rescue and
rehabilitation efforts, and advocacy and legal action to ensure better
protection for manatees and their habitat.
HOW? By simply adopting a manatee, you can
donate to Save The Manatees and all proceeds go directly to their cause!