Wild Facts

Photo from Wikimedia

Not too long ago one of our faithful readers mentioned the similarities between a Dugong and a Manatee.  At the same time it was pointed out that we did not yet have a Wild Fact on the beloved “Gentle Giant”, the Manatee.  Today all of that changes as we are once again heading to the ocean to learn about the beautiful Manatee.   More specifically we will need to go to the warmer waters only in the eastern hemisphere, which means a road trip to Florida and the Caribbean! So grab your things, grab your friends and pile in the car…….SHOTGUN!

The Manatee is also known as a Sea Cow, which makes sense if you consider their leisurely, lazy pace is equivalent to a cow in the pasture.  They may seem to live a care-free life but they are actual very graceful swimmers.  In fact once they get that large tail moving they can swim up to 24 km/hr (15 mph), however, they usually prefer to cruise around at 8 km/hr (5 mph).  This is pretty fast for an animal that is 2.4 – 4 m (8 – 13′) long and can weigh up to 600 kg (1300 lbs).  I guess once the Manatee gets their weight behind them, there is no stopping that momentum.

Photo from Chris Muenzer (Wikimedia)

The social life of the Manatee is quite varied as they are usually seen alone, in pairs or in small group of six or fewer animals.  I guess they aren’t that much different than us. You have your bachelors, lovebirds in a committed relationship and then the family Man…atee.  No matter the style of life the Manatee is living they never actually leave the water.  As a result you will often just see their noses sticking above the surface of the water.  This is just enough to get them a nice gulp of fresh air. When the Manatee is on the move they will need to surface every three to four minutes; however, when they are resting they can stay submerged for up to fifteen minutes.

Manatee Fast Fact – It is believed that the Manatee is actually responsible for the legend of the Mermaid.  In fact in West Africa they are sacred so you would be considered a sinner for killing one.  The folks in South America didn’t share the same sentiment as they used the Manatee for their meat and bones. For the record, I have a tough time mistaking Ariel, the Little Mermaid, for a Manatee!

Well that does it for our trip to Florida and the Caribbean.  Time to head home…..SHOTGUN!  Ha, I beat you to it again!  Have a good one, folks.  Actually, before you go, check out this 4 minute video clip showing the care-free, grace of a swimming Manatee.

Photograph by OSF/D. Fleetham/Animals Animals—Earth Scenes

Today we are going to head to the farm to learn about cows.  Okay, maybe that isn’t exactly correct.  We are actually going to head to the sea to learn about Sea Cows.  No, I am not being funny!  The Dugong is often referred to as the sea cow.  I don’t believe there are any farmers out there that have a herd of sea cows and use them to produce milk but I could be wrong.

The dugong is called a sea cow because it basically feeds the same way as a regular cow.  The dugong will graze on underwater grasses by digging them up with their snout. The sea cow can grow to about 3 meters (6′) long and weigh up to 300 kg (600 lbs).  In the wild they are able to live up to 70 years.  Unfortunately, the dugong is the only remaining member of its once diverse family.  Hunting has brought the dugong population into jeopardy, however, they have finally been protected throughout their range.

So do these “cows” have any special adaptations to allow them to graze along the ocean floor? Of course they do, I wouldn’t have asked the question if they didn’t.  The first adaptation has to do with their snout which is turned downwards to allow the sea cow the ability to uproot their yummy grass salad.  The liver of the dugong has also evolved which actually removes all of the salt from the plants that it consumes. Another unique adaptation is the weight of their bones.  Unlike humans the dugong has little to no marrow in their bones.  These solid bones actually acts as a ballast which allows them to stay suspended just below the water surface.  Just so you know the bones of the dugong are among the densest in the world. I wonder if they use the excuse “I’m just big boned” after they put on a few pounds from eating too many Christmas goodies!

Dugong Fast Fact: It is believed that the dugong may be responsible for starting the myth about mermaids. I wonder why Disney didn’t go with The Little Dugong instead of the The Little Mermaid.