What Is a ManateeWhat is a manatee? Manatees are incredible marine mammals that do not make their way to Alabama often. They are herbivores and grow to an average length of 8 to 10 feet and an average weight of between 900 and 1,200 pounds. They are grayish brown in color and their skin is thick and wrinkled.Manatees have an extremely large and flexible upper lip. They use it to graze for and eat their food. It is also used to communicate with other manatees. Although they don’t have canine teeth or incisors, manatees do have cheek teeth. The teeth are constantly replaced when they fall out. This occurs throughout the manatee’s lifetime. These slow moving creatures are very gentle by nature. They are quite inquisitive and love to explore their surroundings. Unfortunately, many manatees get injured or killed by boat propellers because of their curiosity.  It is believed that manatees have evolved from elephants. Their tough, wrinkly skin and trunk-like face help to bolster that theory. They also have a flat tail similar to that of a beaver. Residents near Orange Beach, Alabama, have recently reported seeing several pods of manatees in the area. Those sighted of the coast and in the estuaries of Alabama are West Indian Manatees. Another sighting in Orange Beach was that of a cow and her calf. They came to the surface of the water and then slowly went back under. It happened too quickly for the person to grab his camera. In late 2009, Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Mobile Manatee Unit started tagging Manatees found in Alabama. They are doing this so that they can study the migratory patterns of these mammals. The tags are a tracking device which allows the scientists to monitor the manatee’s whereabouts via satellite. They have already discovered that a Manatee named “Ellie” is a Crystal River manatee. “Ellie” was found in Mobile Bay, about 400 miles in 2007. She has since returned. Although “Ellie” spends much of her time in Florida, she frequently returns to Mobile Bay. Come on! Everybody wants to vacation at coastal Alabama, even the Ellie! New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
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