MANATEE
THE WEST INDIAN
MANATEE
Sunshine Magazine
September 3, 2000
Page 5
The
manatee is a rare and unusual animal. It is a mammal - it breathes through lungs just like us. In spite of this, it lives in water. It remains submerged for five or more
minutes, then comes up to breathe. It an,
however, hold its breath for about 20 minutes.
That's a long time.
Because
its head somewhat resembles that of a cow, it is sometimes referred to as a
"seacow" or watercow". It
lives in warm coastal waters and coastal rivers. In Trinidad, manatees are fund in the Ortoire River and other
rivers in the Nariva Swamp. They are
sometimes seen with heads propped against the bank as they rest and breathe and
as quickly disappear in the water.
Their
long sleek bodies are seal-like with a scatter of bristle-like hairs and their
whiskers on their snouts. They have two
limbs close to their heads; these limbs are for guiding through the water. These are also used for scooping up food to
their mouths. The tail is used as a
powerful paddle to move along.
Our
West Indian manatees grow to a length of about two to three metres or six to
nine feet. However, manatees also were
found to be as long as four metres or 12 feet.
Under normal, favourable conditions, manatees can live up to 60 years.
Can
you imagine that manatees existed over 60 million years? That means they existed during those early
years alongside the dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.
These
unusual mammals feed on water and other soft vegetation found on the banks of
the river. It is said that a manatee
can eat up to 30 kilogrammes or one hundred pounds in a day. They are not aggressive; they are gentle and
playful with each other.
It is
good to note manatees are protected by law.
If anyone is found killing one, he or she can be charged. So, let us try to save not only the Manatee,
but all our interesting wildlife.