Manatees, The Gentle Giant Is Going Extinct Essays

Manatees are heterotrophic, so they have to find other sources of food because they can't produce their own.

‘Methods: To determine manatee mortality during the years 1974 to 2006 in Broward County, Florida, I gathered data from the literature of several different sources within the Florida area. The sources came from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC), The Broward County Manatee Protection Plan, and a book called Observations On Manatee Mortality In South Florida. All of the sources collected information by both federal and state agencies and most importantly the Manatee Carcass Salvage Program the Florida Wildlife Conservation had created. This program as well as the other sources all used post-mortem examinations to try and find out the probable cause of death of any found or reported manatees (Broward County et al 2008). Both the FWC and the Broward County Protection Plan used 174 different manatee carcasses to determine the probable cause of

This exceptionally charismatic megafauna has become synonymous with Florida along with “snowbirds”, orange juice, and Mickey Mouse but the Florida manatee may not be as permanent as its counterparts. Since being declared as endangered, the Florida manatee, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, has been at the center of conservation efforts throughout the east coast of the United States. While human involvement has been at the crux of the increasing population, it can be argued that the best way to save this species is by taking humans out of the picture altogether.

Mangrove Forest is another type of ecosystem in South Texas. Mangrove Forests are found along the coast in salty waters and the general abiotic conditions are high salinity flooded soils, low wave energy, high temperatures, and muddy soils. Black Mangrove and Buttonwood are the dominant plant species in South Texas Mangrove Forest ecosystem. Buttonwood is adapted to this ecosystem because it resides inland where there is less salty conditions. Black Mangrove is adapted to sandy salty clay soil and requires protection from wave action and they are sensitive to cold weather. Some common animal species that live in Mangrove Forests are many species of fish, crabs, mollusks, and birds. Mangrove forests provide a habitat, shelter, and nursery to these species that reside in this ecosystem. Mangrove forest serve as a coastal protection from severe storms and hurricanes also help remove pollutants and erosion. The economic importance of Mangrove forest is that they support fisheries, water purification, tourism, and coastal protection. Human activities pose a threat to Mangrove Forests because of the removal of some mangroves, boat waves, oil spills, dredging, draining, and diking.

have 24-32 molars in the back of their mouths. The front molars are worn away

The manatees biggest predator is humans.Now it may supprise whomever is reading this paper,but manatees are mostly severley injured or even killed by boats.Manatees are actually identified with their scars and are recorded in journals. Alligator and any kind of shark.Even though manatees are massive, they do not have much body fat. Manatees are “Big boned”. The cold waters are a very serious threat to the manatee. They may accidentally move from a warm area of water to a colder one. Their bodies aren’t designed to be able to handle the cold temperatures. As a result everything can shut down and they will die in a short period of time. Young manatees Are the most vulnerable to this due to the curiosity. Manatees also suffer from digestion of trash and debri that we humans leave out in the waters. We can stop this by not littering,being more cautious while operating a boat and not hunting these magnificent creatures. They can not survive in less than 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Manatees have been hunted for their oil and have been almost to Extinction. Florida made a law of the hunting of manatees in 1893 the official season for thriving Florida manatees is October 30th to March 31st but there are manatees at stay in certain areas all year

Producing long and hair-like filaments, Lyngbya normally grows in dense mats at the bottoms of nutrient-enriched lakes and spring-fed systems. These mats produce gasses during photosynthesis that often cause the mats to rise to the surface where they can grow to several acres in size. Winds push the mats causing them to pile up against shorelines and in channels making navigation difficult and decreasing sunlight for the native species. In some areas, the algae bloom covers so much of the pre-existing vegetation that it smothers eelgrass, a preferred food of the endangered West Indian manatee. Reduced water clarity and extreme fluctuations in oxygen stress every part of the ecosystem and as a result, tiny essential, life-sustaining micro-organisms that feed on native vegetation are severely reduced, and so are the fish, turtles, manatees and other wildlife that feed on them. The birds and larger animals that feed on smaller animals must find new, more plentiful

The government has listed the manatee as “endangered” since 1972. When animals are listed as endangered, laws must be made to protect them.

The answer is no. Because of its great size there are no known predators of the manatee, leaving it virtually out of harm's reach. However, although the manatee faces no threat from others in the water, its biggest enemy, humans, plays a vital role on the water, in its population decline (McGavin 88)

Fibropapillomatosis, a disease of sea turtles characterized by the development of multiple tumors on the skin and internal organs, is also a mortality factor and has seriously affected green turtle populations in Florida, Hawaii, and other parts of the world. The tumors interfere with swimming, eating, breathing, vision, and reproduction, and turtles with heavy tumor burdens may become severely debilitated and die. Other threats include loss or degradation of nesting habitat from coastal development and beach armoring; disorientation of hatchlings by beachfront lighting; nest predation by native and non-native predators; degradation of foraging habitat; marine pollution and debris; watercraft strikes; and incidental take from channel dredging and commercial fishing operations.

In areas with vibrant mangrove forests, mangroves prevent erosion and absorb floodwaters, acting as a barrier for protection and a buffer. Mangroves however do have threats and weaknesses, hurricanes can damage them and they are weak to frost. But however the biggest threat to mangroves is humans, which cause habitat destruction and pollution. With these factors we see mangrove forests and mangroves in danger as the combinations also lead to climate change. With rising seas and warmer waters, mangroves may have to adapt or move locations which can put ecosystems unbalanced and change can bring huge disruption to ecosystems, and the way of life for many marine life, habitats and some may not be fit or quick to

Shrimps and mud lobsters use the muddy bottom as their home.[10] Mangrove crabs mulch the mangrove leaves, adding nutritients to the mangal muds for other bottom feeders.[11] In at least some cases, export of carbon fixed in mangroves is important in coastal food webs.

Mangroves are the centre of a very intricate ecosystem. As a whole, mangroves are sometimes considered to be the most complex and productive ecosystem on earth (Frost, Emily). Many individuals consider the mangrove trees to be where the sea meets the land, since it benefits animals of all kinds. There are four different species of mangroves located in Belize, these include: the red mangove (Rhizophora mangle), the black mangove (Avicennia germinans), the white mangrove (Laguncalaria racemosa), and the buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus). The red mangrove is usually found along the water on the cayes and waterways, the black mangroves are found farther from the waters edge, followed by the white mangrove and buttonwood being found furthest inland.

More alarming though is the run-off of agrochemicals and sewage pollution (Programme-wo, 2009). Another big aspect of the economy is the fishing industry, which has started to take a toll on certain species of fish, conchs, and lobsters that live in and around the reef. Two other problems, which have devastating effects are dredging and sand mining. Dredging and sand mining are choking the corals that live in the reef system. All of these issues are causing devastating effects to the reef and; therefore, is why 370 square miles of the Belize Barrier Reef system is protected by the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve system. The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System includes seven marine reserves, 450 cayes, and three atolls (UNESCO). A marine reserve is an area of the sea that has legal protection against fishing or development. To further the effort in 1990, the Government of Belize created the Coastal Zone Management Unit (CZMU) within the fisheries department. The CZMU has created different ministries, which are responsible for the management and preservation of different areas of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve system. The three main ministries involved in the coastal management are the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (responsible for marine reserves and fisheries management), the

The Manatee or more commonly known as the “Sea Cow”, can only be found in warmer waters like in Florida and in that area. Manatees are large marine mammals, and they can weigh up to more than 500kg can also grow up to lengths of over 4.5 meters. Now despite their large size, it’s not really uncommon for Manatees to age more than 70 years old. So the manatee spends most of its time grazing the sea grass in the shallow waters they are herbivores and, therefore really only feed on seagrass, algae, they are known to have eaten small fish but, not necessarily on purpose and, they live by the coast also.