Featured Image Credit: Douglas Faulkner via National Geographic
By Sarah Sharkey
Biologists recently collected samples from manatees in the canals of South Florida. They took many samples that included blood, tissue and urine samples. One of the sampling techniques involved using a toothbrush to collect algae samples, which can tell the biologists a lot about where the manatee has traveled. After collecting the data, the manatees are fitted with tracking tags and sent on their way. All of this information is then compared with the data compared to manatees of the past. This study has been going on for about 40 years, which is an amazing tool for biologists to see how manatees are doing as a population as compared to previous years.
Cathy Beck, wildlife biologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, claims that the goal of this survey has always been to get them off the endangered species list. These yearly comparisons allow scientists to see if there is “anything going on with the local population.” If something were wrong, biologist would be able to see this quickly through the yearly surveys.
Beck estimates that there are about 4,000 manatees in South Florida. This is higher than years past because of the protections put in place through the information gleaned from this survey.
With the manatee season upon us, it is important to remember to obey the “no wake” signs because boat accidents can be fatal to manatees. “Manatee season” runs from roughly November to March. This is because manatees are drawn inland to the warmer waters of the coast versus the open ocean. One spot that is particularly attractive to manatees are the FPL power plants because of the warm water that flows from there. Other spots include the freshwater springs that can be found throughout the west coast of Florida. If you are hoping to see a manatee this season, one of the best places to look is Crystal River.