Status, Distribution, Migration and Conservation Efforts |
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Here is a map of the locations of where all of the
Sirenias are. It is easy to tell where the manatees are located if you
know their names. The Amazonian manatee is located in the Amazon rainforest
in South America. The West African manatee is located in the middle region
of the western coast of Africa. The West Indian manatee is located from
the coast of North Carolina all the way down to South America. |
Manatees have few natural predators. The greatest natural threats are exposure to cold temperatures, hurricanes, and poisoning from red tide. Many manatees are also killed by man, especially by water boat accidents. In 2000, at least 78 manatees were killed by watercraft.
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The amount of manatees is very difficult to determine. The only way they can really count is to do ariel surveys once a year. But even these are dependent on the weather and clarity of the water. They also can evaluate birth and death rates, and other population growth rates. There are approximately 3200 West Indian Manatees.
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Manatees are endangered, protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act. Manatees are also protected under the Federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. Both of these laws make it illegal to harm, harass, injure, or kill manatees.
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In order to help conserve the manatees, many manatee speed zones have been established by the State of Florida. There has also been 7 federal manatee sanctuaries established to help protect the manatees at Crystal River, Florida. Many sick or injured manatees are rescued every year, rehabilitated, and released back to the wild. There has also been modifications made to water-control structures and navigation locks which have included installing pressure sensitive and acoustic devices on some of the most deadly locks. There are several different programs that help manatees. One very successful program is the Save the Manatee Club.
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Here is a picture of a group of scientists releasing a manatee back into the water. This manatee was badly harmed by a boat, and was taken in to recover.
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| Manatee migration does not occur in herds. Though groups may move together, it is all as individuals. No two pairs ever seems to consistently travel together, except mothers and calves. There is not a lot known about manatee navigation. The only way information has successfully been gathered has been by fitting satellite transmitters to the tails of individual manatees. By this method, it has been seen that manatees can migrate for hundreds of miles and still be able to return to exactly the same place that they started from. Because manatees do not have a lot of body fat, they cannot be in cold water, or they will die. This is the main reason to migrate large distances. But some manatees have learned instead to move to areas where there is hot water made by man from power plants, or other things. They may also relocate slightly if they use up all the food in one area. |