
Another beautiful post in our series:
In the shallow waters of Southwest Florida, especially in estuarine areas, a common sight is the manatee, also known as a sea cow. These large, gentle marine mammals measure up to 13 feet and weigh as much as 1,300 lbs. They are slow, peaceful plant eaters and often graze on water plants. They tend to be solitary animals, apart from mothers with their young, or males following a receptive female. Manatees swim at about 3 to 5 mph, but can accelerate up to 20 mph in short bursts.
Manatees are particularly vulnerable to red tides as well as collisions with propellor-driven boats.
Pictures of some local manatees from the Coral Creek area are shown. Note the propellor damage on one of them.
For additional information on the Lemon Bay Conservancy, you call call our office at 941-830-8922 or email us at lbconservancy@comcast.net.