“Ladies, I know this is your first time visiting our manatees. I’m going to show you a film on using proper manners with the manatees. Manatees are real friendly, but they are endangered and, in Florida, we take this very seriously,” Captain Joe explained as he maneuvered the boat away from the dock.
As soon as the thirty-minute film was finished Susie said, “Please feel free to ask questions.”
I asked first, “Since they’re mammals, how long can they stay underwater?”
Susie answered quickly, “Manatees have lungs like we do. But they must keep their nostrils above water to breathe. They can hold their breath for up to twenty minutes underwater but generally must surface every three to four minutes.”
“Will they ever swim fast like dolphins?” Jasmine asked as she peeked overboard trying to get a glimpse.
“Manatees are S-L-O-W and swim at a speed of about 3-5 mph. That’s about how fast a regular person walks, so you see a manatee would definitely lose a race with a fish,” Susie joked.
As the boat slowed down and came to a full stop, we did a gear check and, when we were ready, jumped into the shallow water one by one. Susie suggested, “There are some manatees over there. Let’s walk over and just watch for a while. After they get used to us, they’ll probably approach.”
“What’re those sounds they’re making?” I asked.
“They communicate with one another by squeals, body language, and scent markings. They’re probably talking about us.”
“Really?”
Susie laughed. “We can never be really sure about this, can we?”
Mom said, “Holly, we left your camera on board. I’ll get it.”
Captain Joe interrupted, “Don’t worry. I’m not coming in the water. I’ll take pictures for you. Just remember to smile for me.”
“Thanks,” Mom replied. She was already smiling. For no reason. Was she flirting with him?
Ms. Costa, who was unusually quiet, was looking in the distance. That’s when a mother manatee with its calf swam toward us. “I think we have company.”
The manatees swam right past us and headed for the riverbank. Susie explained, “Manatees eat plants—grasses, branches, leaves. Since they’re so big, they eat from about six to eight hours a day to get filled up.”
As she mentally tried to estimate the size of the larger one, Ms. Costa asked, “Are these manatees fully grown?”
Susie walked over to the pair and responded, “Adult manatees generally grow to be from 10-12 feet long. They weigh in the range of 800 to 1,200 pounds. This is an adult female with its baby who is not older than about two years old.”
Jasmine asked, “How do you know how old the baby is?”
The marine biologist answered, “Manatees nurse their young for up to two years. Although generally a solitary sea mammal, the bond between mother and calf is very strong. They wouldn’t be next to each other in this way if the calf were already living independently.”
Susie added, “As a point of information, the gestation period is about one year.”
“What’s gestation?” Jasmine asked.
“Gestation refers to how long a mother is pregnant before giving birth.”
I asked, “Why are humans pregnant for only nine months.”
“The gestation period is relative to the size of the animal.”
“So, a mouse is pregnant less time than an elephant?” Jasmine asked.
“Yes, a mouse is pregnant for about three weeks and an elephant for about two years,” Ms. Costa answered.
“Two years! I can’t even imagine it,” my mom said.
“I hear ya,” Susie laughed.
We watched as the mother and calf used their mouths to grab the grasses along the riverbank. “Manatees have a prehensile mouth. It’s like using our hands to grab things,” Susie added.
I asked, “Don’t monkeys have a prehensile tail?”
Susie responded with a smile, “Yes, Holly, you’re right. Monkeys curl their tails around tree branches to hold on, and manatees curl their mouths around plants to eat.”
Ms. Costa spoke next. “ I see the manatees have some hair on their bodies, and whiskers around their mouths, but what’s that on the mother’s back?”
“Algae. Fresh water manatees can have algae growing on their backs. Because they move so slowly and stay in shallow water, sunlight is always on their backs.”
Ms. Costa noted, “It sounds like photosynthesis is happening on their backs!”
“Yuck!” I said.
“That’s so gross,” Jasmine added.
My mom asked, “Any other interesting facts to share?”
“If you think this is gross, you should know that salt water manatees can have barnacles growing on their backs.” Susie was filled with information.
“What’s a barnacle? Is it the same as what’s on the bottom of boats?” I asked.
Susie responded, “A barnacle is a shrimp-like hard-shell creature that attaches itself to a hard surface. In this case, the manatee. Forever. And yes, they also attach themselves to boats.”
“Double yuck,” I said. “That’s worse than algae.”
“Double gross,” Jasmine added. “That’s worse than pimples.”
Susie laughed. “Girls, this is an example of nature working in harmony. This special relationship is symbiotic, meaning that both creatures benefit. Manatees can live up to sixty years, so it doesn’t hurt them in any way.”
“I noticed that there’s often a picture of a mermaid next to a manatee’s picture. Why is that?” Mom asked.
“We’re told that the manatee has often been mistaken for the walrus and, in the past, even for a mermaid by the sailors of days gone by,” Susie explained.
“Why would they think that?” Ms. Costa wondered out loud.
“When the manatees were sighted hugging their young, their floppy ears gave the appearance of long hair. From a distance, it looked as if women were hugging their babies.”
“I’m sorry, but that just doesn’t make any sense to me. Mermaids are depicted as beautiful, graceful fast swimmers. How could anyone mistake the manatee for these fantasy creatures?” Ms. Costa commented.
“Is science always right?” Mom asked Ms. Costa.
“Why don’t you answer this one?” Ms. Costa told Susie.
“Let’s put it this way. Science uses the most recent facts at hand to explain phenomena. As new information is discovered, conclusions can change.
“Like when they found the proof the world isn’t flat?” asked Mom.
“I guess that could serve as an example,” Susie answered.
Just then, three more gray, blimp-like manatees swam over. One of them rolled on its back in front of me to have its belly rubbed. Another bumped Ms. Costa with its flat, round tail. Another manatee went right up to Jasmine and tried to hug her with its short flippers.
Jasmine was so happy. “This is another story we’ll tell, and no one will believe us!”
Mom called out, “Quick, Captain Joe, get the camera!”
“Don’t worry. I’m already on it. I’ve been taking pictures of you right along.”
Was he flirting with her?
A brown manatee swam right up to me and nudged me with its body. Susie told me, “I think it wants you to swim.” I flipped on my back. The manatee copied my movements, as Jasmine watched from the sidelines.
Much to everyone’s surprise, as one of the smaller gray manatees swam over to Jasmine, the unthinkable happened. The manatee gently nudged her, swam away, saw Jasmine wasn’t following, then went back and nudged again. “Oh, how can I be afraid?”
she sighed. Jasmine looked at Susie. “Are you sure this life vest will hold me up?”
“Very sure.”
Jasmine looked the manatee in the eye as it bobbed up and down in front of her. “You convinced me. Just don’t try any weird stuff.” She left the shoreline, walking at first, then kicking her legs. She swam with the manatee at her side.
By now, everyone was swimming, racing, barreling and flipping with the manatees. We played for about two hours before Captain Joe spoke up. “Sorry, ladies, but it’s time to go.”
Back on the boat, I reviewed the pictures in the camera. True to his word, the captain had taken pictures of everything we did.
“Look at this one, Jasmine. You have the funniest expression on your face.”
“Holly, look at you with these two manatees. It looks like you’re all just standing around having a conversation.”
“Mom, Ms. Costa, you have to see these.” I handed the camera to my mom.
“What wonderful memories these will bring,” my mom said.
“These will come in handy when you do your presentation at school,” Ms. Costa said to me.
“Please don’t remind me about that.” I rolled my eyes and looked over at Jasmine. She pointed her finger at me. “Hear that? When you do the presentation.”
“Why do I have to be the one on stage?”
“Because I’m not doing it, that’s why. Also, I’m the researcher. You’re the poet. Remember? Besides, it’s time for you to do some stretching.”
As the boat slowly cruised back to the dock, the marine biologist spoke seriously to the group. “We all had a great time today, but please remember, we must all do what we can to protect the manatees. Humans are the worst enemies of these sweet, fun-loving creatures.”
“Don’t tell me there are people who actually eat them!” I cried out.
“No, Holly. No one eats them. Humans cause problems in other ways. Almost all manatees carry scars from collisions with boat motors. They get caught up in fishing nets and drown. They also can be crushed and drowned in flood lock structures.”
“What can we do to help?” asked Ms. Costa. “I’d be happy to teach about manatees in my science class.”
Jasmine added, “When we do our assembly in school, we’ll be sure to tell about what we learned today. I mean, Holly will tell.”
“We can display our photos in school, so everyone can understand how gentle and helpless they are. They can’t even swim away fast enough to get out of danger,” I said.
Susie left us with these words: “It’s important to remember that the land, the sky, and the water are perfectly balanced, so all living things can flourish. If the scales are tipped, the outcome is changed. We must live with our eyes, our minds, and our hearts open.”
“Wow!”