West Indian Manatee : An Overview

The evolutionary path of a whale is a fascinating process of a terrestrial mammal that evolves into a marine mammal. This evolutionary path started with one of the earliest ancestors called “Pakicetus”. A Pakicetus was discovered to be a land animal with four legs that had teeth as carnivores. It skull structure was long, but this organism didn’t look like any marine animal. The scientist then discovered that on the skull’s ear region it was surrounded by a bony wall. This feature on an organism only was distinct from one type of species, scientist discovered that this animal “Pakicetus” was an ancestor of a whale. By comparing the early whales Pakicetus to the next generation of ancestors Ambulocetus, the Ambulocetus whale looks more like

"There is proof that the manatees were around for about 60 million years and that they were related to the elephant. It was also learned that they were land animals and that over time they learned to survive in the water".

Some ways in which sea horses have adapted to better survive in their habitats. One of their abilities that can help them survive is their ability to camouflage and hide from their predators. The second thing is that they don’t have scales they have bony plates. The final thing is that they have special senses.

Humans have been giving common names to plants and animals for as far back as cavemen go. It has been no different for the American Alligator commonly known as the “gator”. The name “Alligator,” according to Kelby Ouchley, is an Anglicized term from the Spanish word “lagarto” (lizard). This name can be traced back to early Spanish explorers in North America, who came across the giant lizard looking type of animal. In 1802 the renowned French herpetologist, Francois Marie Daudin, officially described the American Alligator as Alligator Mississippiensis. The term Mississippiensis comes from the Mississippi river where many of these lizard like creatures were found and the Latin term ensis meaning “belonging to.”

The study conducted by Weisle, Nagaswami, and Peterson is displayed about river otters and how they are different in structure from other marine mammals. River otters must depend on their thick layer of hair for survival. River otters are semi-aquatic mammals, which are considered to have denser fur than any other mammals. It’s thick, sleek coat, which keeps it dry and warm, is made up of two types of hair. The longer outer hairs are water repellent as known as guard hairs, and the other is underhair. The guard hairs could provide some protection for the more delicate underhairs. The three authors of this article, “River otter hair structure facilitates interlocking to impede penetration of water and allow,” addresses a question upon why the

Like elephants, manatees never forget. This means that anything that happens to none manatee will remain in it’s mind for ever. Every day manatees are being injured by people. They are harmless creatures that rely on us to keep them safe . I believe that manatees need more protection because they are already endangered and they have no way to fight back.

There are five teams that are worthy of being called the greatest team in NFL history: the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers, the 1984 San Francisco 49’ers, the 2007 Patriots, however the 1985 Chicago Bears stand out amongst the crowd because of their outrageous defense, popularity amongst the NFL fans, and their roster that was filled with Hall of Fame talent. According to the 1985 Chicago Bears Statistics & Players (2017), the team finished with a season record of 15-1. News analyst Tony Andracki (2016) stated that, “The 1985 Bears turned in one of the most dominant seasons in American Sports” (p.1).

In marine mammal biology a large portion of the study is dedicated towards the study of adaptations to the marine environment. By comparing the anatomy between marine mammals and terrestrial mammals scientists can better understand evolutionary history of how these two categories of mammals diverged from one another. The purpose of this lab was to study the anatomy of different marine and terrestrial mammals and compare their similarities and differences in homologous traits and how adaptations were made specifically for marine mammals to survive the aquatic environment. To accomplish this bones of different species of animals were studied since these structures serve as the basis for comparison across species as well as an indicator of each animal’s individual morphology and physiology. A standard measurement protocol for bones of particular regions of the skeleton was established with emphasis on length versus width ratio as well as it’s overall size relative to its more complex features, i.e. humerus length versus hand length.

On Thursday, June 22, the Blythe Desert Dolphins hosted their second home swim meet, where they competed against the Brawley Sunstrokers and the Holtville Stingrays at the Palo Verde High School pool.

The ornate box turtle is a extremely common species of turtle that lives throughout the United States. The turtles can be easily recognized by their dark brown shell with bright yellow markings. Almost every box turtle is unique in marking, from yellow to orange spots on their body to the different patterns on their shell. The male and female box turtle are distinguishable by their eye color and tail size. Male ornate box turtles have red eyes and longer tails, while females have brown eyes and shorter tails. These turtles have a interesting life style because they usually live their entire life's within only a few acres. The turtles start out the day basking in the sun. from there they go out hunting for food. Ornate box turtles move and hunt

The magnificent leatherback sea turtle is a precious species that exists in the world today. It has endured and evolved through the years, and it would be terrible if humans put an end to their amazing existence. By learning more and taking an active role in supporting conservation programs, hopefully the leatherback population can grow and

U.S. Geological Survey’s Sirenia Project has been monitoring welfare biomarkers in manatees over several years in Kings Bay, Florida. Dr. Bob Bonde, a research biologist with the Sirenia Project, is granting the use of these samples for my proposed project. Identification and documentation of age classes of manatees at Kings Bay will account for manatees adapting to human interactions at these study sites over time. Thus, age may be positively correlated with lower welfare biomarker concentrations in samples. Fecal and blood samples will also be collected from captive manatees in swim programs at Isla Mujeres’s Dolphin Discovery Center with cooperation from staff members. Hypothesis 1: Human interaction induces negative physiological responses in the West Indian manatee, as indicated by welfare biomarker concentrations from fecal and blood

West Indian Manatees have a light and dark grey tone to them. They can grow up to 10ft in length and can weight up to 1,200lbs. Their tail is a paddle shaped and they have two flippers. The tail and flippers help them move around. The Manatees have wrinkles on their head and face. Their nose is a darker gray with whiskers besides them.

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Achieve3000, August 7, 2015). A rare leatherback sea turtle was found on a South Carolina beach in March 2015. The enormous reptile weighed 476 pounds (216 kilograms). It was spotted on the Yawkey-South Island Reserve in Georgetown County. The creature was brought to the South Carolina Aquarium. Workers named her Yawkey. She was treated with fluids, antibiotics, and vitamins. She was the first leatherback to be found alive in South Carolina. Caretakers were eager to see her returned to the sea.

I think that tourists should be allowed to swim with the manatees. According to the article, most tourists are respectful and listen to the instructions that their tour boat captains have told them. Mike Burns, a man who lead tours to manatee viewing spots around Kings Bay said, “Someone comes back to the boat, and she’s just bawling: ‘Oh it was great! It came right up to my face!’ She’s so overcome by emotion she can’t wait to go out and save the manatees. I’ll tell you, for a lot of people, it really is a spiritual experience( “A Manatee Story” ).” Many people leave Kings Bay with a heightened appreciation for manatees, and some have become manatee advocates. So, when people abuse the manatees, new regulations are quickly put in place because