El endangered manatee It is thanks to the fact that man has not become aware of the effects that his actions of contamination have on the earth, seas and rivers, we invite you to continue reading about this animal so that you understand your situation.
What is the manatee?
El sea cow It is an aquatic mammal also known as sea cows, they are herbivorous animals that only feed on shallow seaweed, it is an animal that can live in fresh and salt water, and they are mostly found in America and Africa.
Because they are so big, their main enemy is man and sometimes the killer whales that can attack them for fun, because it is not food for them, because the killer whales are so big and slow. Carnivorous animals they play with this animal and only destroy it without eating it, this happens in coastal areas where there is little depth.
In fresh water it is considered an animal that is not attacked, for this reason the manatee could be saved from extinction if they all lived in these waters but some part of their system needs the sea to be healthy.
types of manatees
There are three types of manatee that were named according to where they are on the planet, these are:
- Caribbean Manatee: They are the ones that inhabit most of the Caribbean Sea, this great animal swims in the salty waters of the countries and islands that make up the coastal strip of America that delimits the Caribbean Sea.
- West African Manatee: This manatee usually inhabits shallow areas of Africa and this type of manatee is freshwater only.
- Amazonian manatee: It is not very difficult to understand what specific area this manatee is from, the Amazon jungle has no coasts, it only has freshwater lagoons and rivers, the indigenous people of the area comment that the manatee is considered a sirenian or newt.
Manatee Characteristics
- They are of great size and weight, the length of their body is approximately six meters and their weight is five hundred kilograms.
- The color of much of its body is dark gray with light shades and small pink spots.
- It is possible to differentiate it from other marine species, thanks to the fact that its tail is crescent-shaped and flattened.
- They live in areas of corals and reefs.
- It feeds in shallow water.
- They are generally alone most of the time, there are currently no known herds of manatees that have been observed by scientists.
- This animal is considered to maintain the balance of marine vegetation.
- If the manatee is in good health, it means that the waters where it is found are free of contamination, while if it is sick, it is a matter of concern since this means that the waters where it lives have some contamination. source of contamination and should be checked.
- Although it is a marine animal, its breathing is superficial, every twenty minutes this animal must come to the surface of the water to take a breath and then sink again.
- They are the main actors of plant diversity in the oceans and rivers.
Food
It is herbivorous, some types of marine vegetation are the most suitable for feeding this large animal, a day they can eat approximately fifty kilograms of algae, which is equivalent to nine percent of their net weight.
Caribbean manatees can also eat some species of fish.
manatee reproduction
The mating period is every five years, that is one of the reasons for their extinction, since to survive in this world of danger they must be like the Humpback Whale, which have large litters annually.
From each female a calf is born that weighs approximately thirty kilograms and measures one hundred centimeters in length, the time in which the little one is with its mother is approximately two years until it can fend for itself, they separate and return to solitude.
Why is the manatee in danger of extinction?
Commenting on all of the above, we can assume that the main factor of extinction is the low birth rate that it has, however, there are other causes for its extinction, which are:
- The destruction of their habitat, this in terms of the river manatees, the causes where they live have been channeled to be able to develop urban complexes and in the course of channeling the manatees have been trapped and die.
- Aquaculture that has adopted this animal as an experiment to teach its science.
- The channels that form the boats or boats are large or small, this has caused the manatee to die thanks to collisions between the two.
- The contamination in the waters and the garbage that is in them, has caused a serious deficit in the vital durability of the manatee.
- Water parks have also tried to place these animals as a distraction, however, the manatee dies because it cannot stand the noise or disturbance caused by being a tourist attraction.
- Killer whales represent a small percentage of the manatee problem, as these animals kill this large but slow animal in cold blood, leaving their waste to be eaten by sharks, which normally do not kill them.
- Climate change has played an important role since drought, tidal waves, floating glaciers and other types of natural phenomena have caused a great change in the habitat of this animal, the temperature of the water has changed, the water currents have shed and this causes stress in an animal as delicate as the manatee.
- Man also contributes his grain of sand and collaborates in the painful extinction of the manatee, with illegal fishing, for fun because this animal is considered the only marine animal that cannot be eaten, since its meat is very hard and its fat neither does it work like the blubber of some types of whales.
As you can see, there are many factors that have led this majestic animal that is the manatee to extinction, however, the UN and some animal reserves assure that this animal will become extinct in the sea rather than in the rivers.
Manatee Conservation Status
In countries of America and India, they have signed agreements to keep the life of the manatee active and that it does not become extinct, these agreements were signed in the year 2000 where only the countries that have limits with the Caribbean Sea participated with the support of the UN.
In 2010, the UNEP incorporated these into these agreements, thus giving the idea of keeping this breed on prohibited coasts where human presence is not accepted, however, this cannot be done since the animal tends to die from stress.
Although years before approximately in the seventies, Brazil together with Mexico and the United States, staged a meeting in which the manatees were the central theme, with the aim of making natural reserves, but conserving them as wild animals, however, handling manatee information at that time it was very scarce, it was years later in 2000.
As we mentioned before when all of America and other countries where manatees exist, they made decisions regarding them.
How to help the manatee?
The simplest ways to help prevent the manatee from becoming extinct is by seeking information on the subject and collaborating by not doing things that harm this precious animal. You need to recycle as much as possible so that the waste they generate does not reach the seas or rivers.
Share in your community and with local authorities what to do to save the life of the manatee, giving talks in schools and public entities.