| Q.
|
Do
manatees have any predators? |
| A.
|
No.
Manatees have no predators.
|
| Q. |
How
long do manatees live? |
| A.
|
Researchers
believe that manatees can live up to 60 years or more. Because
of the many perils in the wild, however, longetivity is uncertain.
In particular, recent research conducted at the Florida Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Florida Marine Research
Institute shows cause for concern. This research revealed
that few manatees were living past the age of 30 and the majority
of animals died between the age of 0 and 10 years -- nowhere
near their estimated life expectancy of 60 years.Q. Were manatees
ever hunted for food?
A. Florida laws to protect manatees were enacted as early
as 1893. However, until the Endangered Species Act of 1973,
there were no real laws to protect them. It is now illegal
to hunt manatees in the United States, but they are still
hunted in all other parts of their range. Most of the time
it is opportunistic hunting, such as when the manatee accidentally
wanders into a fisherman's net and is used for food. Poaching
of manatees is the United States is extremely rare, but it
still occurs.
|
| Q. |
Are
manatees ever attacked by sharks or alligators? |
| A.
|
Manatees
are not usually hunted by sharks because they generally don’t
share the same habitat. Larger-sized sharks are generally
found offshore in deeper waters. The smaller shark species
that may inhabit lagoons and shallower waters probably would
not attack manatees because they are too big. Alligators do
not usually attack manatees for the same reason.
|
| Q. |
What
are the different types of speedboats that are dangerous to
the manatees? |
| A.
|
All
types of boats that are going too fast are dangerous to manatees.
On average, most manatees only travel about three to eight
kilometers (three to five miles) per hour, so any boat that
is traveling faster than 24-32 kilometers (15-20 miles) per
hour is capable of injuring or killing a manatee.
|
| Q. |
Have
scientists decided what killed so many manatees in 1996? Can
anything be done to prevent these mortalities from happening
again? |
| A.
|
A
single catastrophic event in 1996 was responsible for 151
manatee deaths. These manatee deaths were attributed to red
tide, a term used for the proliferation or "blooms"
of tiny marine organisms called dinoflagellates. The organism's
pigments can cause the water to appear red, green, or yellow.
Microscopic, but found in great abundance, they give off a
toxic byproduct that affects the central nervous system of
creatures in the area of the bloom. The red tide epizootic
began on March 5 and continued through April 28 along Florida's
southwest coast, wiping out approximately 15% of the known
west coast population of manatees.
|
| Q. |
Have
scientists decided what killed so many manatees in 1996? Can
anything be done to prevent these mortalities from happening
again? |
| A.
|
In
1982, another outbreak of red tide was believed to have contributed
to the death of 37 manatees. Over the years however, red tide
manatee mortality events have been rare. Red tide is considered
to be a natural event and therefore may not be preventable.
But scientists are currently looking at possibilities to reduce
the risk to manatees during red tides. Monitoring and prediction
of red tide distribution has been deemed crucial. The possibility
of reducing water salinity in certain areas is also being
investigated as red tide requires high salinity water to survive
and does not do well in water less than 2.5% salt, such as
brackish or river water.
|