The Manatee or the West Indian manatee is the official state marine mammal of Florida. It was entitled as the official state marine mammal of Florida in 1975. The scientific name of the Manatee is Trichechus manatus. It is also known as Sea Cow, Big Beaver, Mermaid or “Furnished with Hands. Florida’s state marine mammal – The Manatee has been classified in three species, like as the Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis); the West Indian manatee, or the American manatee (Trichechus manatus); and the African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis), which also signify the regions in where they live.
The West Indian manatee generally lives in shallow coastal areas of West Indies, or Caribbean Islands. Nevertheless, it is known to survive huge alter in water salinity, therefore, in shallow rivers and estuaries, they also been found. Moreover, they can live in fresh, brackish, and saline water. The law designating the manatee as the official Florida state marine mammal is found in The Florida Statutes, Title 4, Chapter 15, Section 15.038.
State marine mammal of Florida Facts—
- Common Name: Manatee or West Indian manatee and also known as Sea Cow, Big Beaver, Mermaid or “Furnished with Hands.
- Scientific Name: Trichechus manatus
- Color: Manatees mainly gray color but somewhat it may found in brownish gray.
- Length: Eight to fourteen feet long.
- Weight: Around a ton.
- Diet: As opportunistic feeders, the manatees are eating the leaves of most plants, which can be manipulated by their upper lip. They prefer seagrasses, freshwater vegetation also eat algae. It is known from the National Geographic, a manatee can eat a tenth of its own weight per day, which may be the 130 lbs.
- Cubs: 1 pup a year
- Lifespan: 28 to 30 years. Occasionally it may 40 years.
The state marine mammal of Florida, the manatee is a large marine mammal, which has an egg-shaped head, flippers, and a flat tail. The flippers have either three or four nails. Manatees feature a gray pelage, or coat when it matured, which turns brown with weathering. The average length of West Indian manatee is in between 2.7–3.5 m, which weighs 200–600 kg. The Florida manatee and West Indian manatee only differ by its size. The largest manatee reported founding 1655 kg in weight and 15 ft long. The females are generally larger than males.
They are also known as sea cows. The name is apt, due to their large physique; slow moving, lolling character; and tendency to be eaten by other animals. Manatees may seem like unwieldy creatures, they can swim speedily and charmingly. Florida’s state marine mammal, the West Indian manatee or The Manatee. The male manatees are called bulls while the females are called cows. There are more than a dozen male manatees followed a female manatee during mating time. The group of bulls is called a mating herd. If the male has mated, he has not taken any part in the caring of young.
It is known from the Save the Manatee Club that a female manatee is pregnant for about 12 months. They give birth to a single calf, which occurs in under water. The mother helps the calf get to the water’s surface for breathing, and within the hour the calf will be able to swim on its own. The young manatee will be sexually matured and ready to have its own young within five years of age. The state marine mammal of Florida, the Manatees frequently swim alone or in pairs.
They have not needed any leader or followers because they are not territorial. When manatees are seen in a group, it means it is either a mating herd or a familiar meeting of the species that merely sharing a warm area, which has a large food supply. According to the record of Save the Manatee Club, a group of manatees is called an aggregation, which usually never grows more than six individuals
Reference: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/group/manatees/
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