MANATEE AWARENESS MONTH!

November 22, 2022 by Rolling Harbour

MANATEE AWARENESS MONTH: BAHAMAS? WE GOTTEM!

Manatees are apex ‘gorgeous marine mammals’. Gentle, inquisitive, brave, long-distance-but-rather-slow-swimming, grass-grazing miracle ur-elephant descendants. They never made it out of the sea in the Miocene epoch.

West Indian Manatee, Bahamas (BMMRO / Charlotte Dunn / Keith Salvesen)

Incongruous in a world of fast sharks, snappy ‘cudas, large whales and leaping dolphins, they contentedly mooch around the seagrass beds. No one in the world has ever objected to or dissed a manatee. They bring only delight to the sea-world, and offer only charm to mankind.

Manatee Awareness Graphic (Peppermint Narwhal)

In the past, I’ve written about the small number of manatees that inhabit the turquoise inner waters of the Bahamas. They were carefully recorded with individual identifying features – usually nicks in the paddle, or scarring. Usually they were named and, where possible, fitted with a tracker. Their friendships and amorous hook-ups were noted. Despite a 16-month birth cycle, manatee-lets were born. Then Dorian struck, and the situation for manatees (as with many other creatures) became unclear. The good news is that they are now increasingly sighted, with photos taken and soc med posts to admire.

IS THERE A DOWNSIDE FOR THESE APPARENTLY BLISSFUL AND PEACEFUL CREATURES?

Yes indeed. It’s mankind, I’m afraid. Among the threats to the survival of these unusual, endearing, and legally protected creatures are, in no particular order:

Pollution of inshore waters and canals
Degradation of the (formerly limitless) sea-grass beds where they feed
Reduction or tainting of the fresh water sources that they need to survive
Understandable over-enthusiasm by admirers – especially in harbours – in dousing them with water from hoses and feeding them lettuce…
…and similar behaviours that may lead to a trusting dependance on humans
Unthinking or speed-selfish boat behaviour in or near harbours resulting in collisions
Simply not caring at all and carving them up, leaving often deep prop-scars. Few manatees escape at least a few of these. Some do not survive.
Probably I don’t need to mention man-caused Global Warming, but I just have.

Let’s celebrate this special month for manatees. Let’s hope that they can survive and prosper in these increasingly difficult and dangerous times for almost all species. Look at any of these photos… can we agree that these wonderful animals deserve care and protection.

All photos: Charlotte Dunn / BMMRO and research contributors; final image ‘Save the Manatee’

INTERNATIONAL MANATEE DAY: BAHAMAS? WE GOTTEM!

September 7, 2020 by Rolling Harbour

INTERNATIONAL MANATEE DAY: BAHAMAS? WE GOTTEM!

Incongruous in a world of fast sharks, huge whales and leaping dolphins, they contentedly mooch around the seagrass beds. No one in the world has ever objected to or dissed a manatee. They bring only delight to the sea-world, and offer only charm to mankind.

I’ve written quite often about the small number of manatees that inhabit the turquoise inner waters of the Bahamas. Almost all are named and some are tracked (until they lose their trackers). Their friendships and amorous hook-ups are recorded. Despite their relative scarcity in the Bahamas and a 16-month birth cycle, they produce manatee-lets and the family trees are very gradually growing.

Gina and Calf, Bahamas (BMMRO)

IS THERE A DOWNSIDE FOR THESE APPARENTLY BLISSFUL AND PEACEFUL CREATURES?

Yes indeed. It’s mankind. Among the threats to the survival of these unusual, endearing, and legally protected creatures are, in no particular order:

Pollution of inshore waters and canals
Degradation of the (formerly limitless) sea-grass beds where they feed
Reduction or tainting of the fresh water sources that they need to survive
Understandable over-enthusiasm by admirers – especially in harbours – in dousing them with water from hoses and feeding them lettuce…
…and similar behaviours that may lead to a trusting dependance on humans
Unthinking or speed-selfish boat behaviour in or near harbours resulting in collisions
Simply not caring at all and carving them up, leaving often deep prop-scars. Few manatees escape at least a few of these. Some may not survive.

Let’s celebrate this special day for manatees. Let’s hope that they can survive and prosper in these increasingly difficult and dangerous times for almost all species. Look at any of these photos… can we agree that these wonderful animals deserve care and protection.

All photos: Charlotte Dunn / BMMRO and research contributors

MANATEES: PICTURE PERFECT ON ABACO (4)

March 25, 2020 by Rolling Harbour

MANATEES: PICTURE PERECT ON ABACO (4)

MANATEE APPRECIATION DAY 2020

Mrs RH and I are sticking to self-isolation right now (we are fine, but thank you for asking). However I am already breaking my current self-imposed ‘single-picture-and-not-much-writing’ regime with today’s creature feature. The excuse? It is of course the last Wednesday in March and as everyone must know it is Manatee Appreciation Day.

Anyone can (and indeed should) appreciate manatees anywhere at any time, and their contemplation is a way to lift the spirits. They were first found in Abaco waters about a dozen years ago. BMMRO reported their movements and the ongoing research. Later, Bahamian locals enthusiastically followed the lives of Gina, Rita, Georgie, Randy & co; and the calves such as JJ and Sayle (winning name in a public competition). Citizen scientist reports were invaluable to the research. Unsurprisingly, since Hurricane Dorian reports have greatly reduced. Manatees may well still be around but even now, 6 months later, trichechi sightings are sporadic. There are other concerns, after all.

Manatees love the camera and, Madonna-like, are often pleased to ‘strike the pose’. Of a sort.

Today the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) showed their appreciation for manatees with a superb image and an excellent set of Manatee Facts that I recommend to anyone who has read this far. For example, recent broadcasts and news articles have featured the importance of seagrass. You will see that it is the primary diet of manatees.

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Happy #ManateeAppreciationDay! ☺️ We have a great photo-feature of these amazing animals in the Spring issue of our magazine coming to all members in the next few days but whilst you wait, here are some fun facts about them: ⠀ ⠀ 💙The manatee, also known as a 'sea cow', is a large marine mammal with an egg-shaped head, flippers and a flat tail. ⠀ 💙Manatees range in size from 8 to 13 feet (2.4 to 4 meters) and can weigh 440 to 1,300 lbs. (200 to 590 kilograms). ⠀ 💙Although they may seem like cumbersome creatures, manatees can swim quickly and gracefully.They have strong tails that power their swimming and usually swim about 5 mph but they can swim up to 15 mph (24 km/h) in short bursts ⠀ 💙There are three species of manatee: the Amazonian manatee, the West Indian/American manatee and the African manatee. ⠀ 💙Manatees often swim alone or in pairs. If manatees are seen in a group (called an aggregation), it is either a mating herd or an informal meeting of the species simply sharing a warm area that has a large food supply. ⠀ 💙Manatees are herbivores. At sea, they tend to prefer sea grasses. When they live in rivers, they consume freshwater vegetation. Manatees also eat algae. It's reported that a manatee can eat a tenth of its own weight in 24 hours! ⠀ 💙The IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species lists all manatees as vulnerable or endangered and facing a high risk of extinction. ⠀ Manatees are thought to have evolved from four-legged land mammals more than 60 million years ago. Except for the Amazonian manatee, their paddlelike flippers have vestigial toenails — a remnant of the claws they had when they lived on land. ⠀ 💙Manatees' eyes are small, but their eyesight is good. They have a special membrane that can be drawn across the eyeball for protection. ⠀ 💙Manatees don't always need to breathe. As they swim, they poke their nose up above the water's surface to catch a few breaths every few minutes. If they are simply resting, they can stay under the water for 15 minutes without taking a breath ⠀ ⠀ #marinemammal #marineconservation #marnebiology #marinelife #oceanlife #oceanindoors #manatee ⠀ ⠀

A post shared by Marine Conservation Society (@mcs_uk) on Mar 25, 2020 at 7:44am PDT