Celebrate Manatee Awareness Month Every November
It’s Manatee Awareness Month for all of November!
These gentle animals seem slow and not too smart. But get to know them and you’ll discover they’re fascinating and quite intelligent.
They generally prefer to be left alone to eat, play, and rest. Unfortunately we can’t seem to leave them or their habitat alone. And that threatens their survival.
Which is why we need Manatee Awareness Month.
The state of Florida first passed laws to protect the manatee in 1893. Since then these animals have gained more protections, including under the federal Endangered Species act. And for many years Florida’s governor has signed an annual proclamation naming November Manatee Awareness Month.
It happens in November because that’s when manatees come closer to Florida’s shores. They like the warmer coastal waters there.
This awareness month is different from Manatee Appreciation Day in March.
Do You Know These Things About Manatees?
Manatee trivia:
- Manatees eat sea grass and other plants growing in warm, shallow coastal waters.
- They grow new teeth as the old ones get worn down and fall out.
- Manatees are mammals, not fish. In fact, they’re closely related to elephants. (Not cows, despite their common name of “sea cows”).
- They’ve also been the official marine mammal of Florida since 1975.
- Manatees may be smarter than you think.
Manatee species and population numbers
The manatees living around Florida and up the east coast are the West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus). There are also two other species: the Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis) and the West African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis).
The US Fish and Wildlife Service added the manatee to the endangered species list in 1972. In January 2016 the USFWS proposed downgrading the West Indian Manatee to threatened, meaning they’re no longer in danger of extinction. But that doesn’t mean they’re completely safe, either.
As of February 2016 the population of Florida manatees numbered about 6,250. This is up from an estimated 1,267 in 1991.
While this is good news, it doesn’t mean the manatees don’t need protection any more. “Threatened” just means a population is likely to become endangered.
Luckily they’re still protected under both the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978.
Continued threats to manatee populations
The leading cause of manatee deaths is still collisions with watercraft.
Losing habitat to human development is also deadly for the manatee. And it’s not a matter of preferring certain habitats. They literally need warm coastal waters to survive. They suffer cold stress below 68 degrees, and it’s been killing more and more manatees each year.
Red tides can coat the seagrasses the manatees eat. The red tides also make neurotoxins which the manatees may both inhale and eat when they eat the seagrasses. Then they have seizures that can cause them to drown. Sadly red tides have gotten bigger and more persistent recently.
Plus, humans directly harassing manatees can cause them to change their behavior. Most of the time people aren’t trying to hurt them, but just feeding them or disturbing them when they’re resting can put them in danger. People have even been known to ride them.
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this caring holiday.
Ideas for Celebrating Manatee Awareness Month
Learn more about manatees from the Save the Manatee Club.
Check out In Search of ‘Mamiwata,’ a blog by Dr. Lucy Keith Diagne, of the African Aquatic Conservation Fund. It’s focused on the African manatee, the least studied of the manatee species.
Slow down and pay attention in manatee areas!
If you’re boating—or even just swimming—in Florida waters, follow Defenders of Wildlife’s tips for protecting manatees. They include slowing down, staying alert for signs of manatees, and staying away from posted manatee sanctuary areas.
Support organizations that work to protect the manatee and its habitat.
- Defenders of Wildlife: Fighting for slow-speed zones where manatees hang out to prevent collisions, among other efforts. You can also make automatic monthly donations as a Wildlife Guardian.
- Save the Manatee Club’s Adopt-A-Manatee program: You get to choose a manatee to adopt! Get an adoption certificate, club newsletter, and more.
- Adopt a Plush Manatee from Oceana to help protect real manatees and other ocean wildlife. Also comes with an adoption certificate. If you prefer, you can also make a general donation.
As always, check out any organization you’re thinking of giving money to. Only you can decide if you approve of the way it uses donations.
Do you have any other ideas for celebrating Manatee Awareness Month?
[…] Manatee Awareness Month: Give the weird-looking but amazing manatees some more love this month. They deserve it! […]