The Sea Mermaid: Manatees

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If a solution is not found, manatees will be completely wiped extinct from the planet. The manatee is a large, aquatic, mammal with two large flippers. The average adult is about 10 feet long and weighs between 800 and 1,200 pounds. Manatees are also known as sea cows; they have a wrinkled head and face with a whiskered snout. The manatees’ closest related relatives are the elephant and the hyrax. Manatees have been on the states endangered list since 1979, but their biggest threats are humans. While some people are extreme manatee conservationists, others could care less about whether this marine mammal becomes extinct, or not. To prevent the extinction of manatees, one should know the history of the animal, its way of life, and methods of conservation.
What are manatees? “West Indian manatees are large, gray aquatic mammals with bodies that taper to a flat, paddle-shaped tail. They have two forelimbs, called flippers, with three to four nails on each flipper. Their head and face are wrinkled with whiskers on the snout” (“Manatee Facts” 1).
These mammals are large enough to be mistaken for whales. Manatees are sea cows. They rather resemble a cow, with their fat bodies (“Manatee” 1). Despite their bulk, these “sea cows” are graceful swimmers in coastal waters and rivers. There are three species of manatee, distinguished by where they live. One manatee population ranges along the North American east coast from Florida to Brazil. Other species inhabit the Amazon River and the west coast and rivers of Africa. The location of where these animals live has a huge effect on the death rate of these animals. Motorboats often hit gentle beasts in ever more crowded waters, entangling them in their nets (“Manatee”1). Ultimately, loss of h...

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...ction. Section II: What are manatees? Section III: The manatee has a very interesting way of life; Section IV: There are many people and organizations devoted primarily to help save the manatee population. The manatee is a very beautiful and interesting animal; it does not deserve bad treatment as it has been in the past. Without a solution, the manatee population will continue to decline. Will the manatee go extinct?

Works Cited

"Manatee Facts." Save The Manatee Club. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2014.

"Manatee." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2014. .
"What You Can Do to Help Manatees : The Humane Society of the United States." RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2014. .

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