The biggest predator to the manatee is the human. Although humans do not hunt manatee, their actions kill and harm them. The cause of 25% of manatee deaths are related to boating accidents. The amount of boats registered in the state of Florida has gone up in the past 25 years, and therefore the amount of manatees hurt or killed has gone up as well. Irresponsible boaters are leading manatees on the path to extinction.(7)
Another cause of death to manatees is a natural threat, but humans make the threat to manatees worse. This is the cold water threat. People are boating and swimming where there are hot springs in the water, and therefore driving the manatees away. This is serious because manatees need warm water to survive. Another human issue is entanglement in fishing wire, pollution, and overpopulation on the coasts. Seagrass, which is a food that manatees often eat, is being removed to make the ocean more "pretty". These causes are all human causes and are killing the manatee. (7)
There are other natural threats, like hurricanes and pathogens, but these are not the reasons why manatees are dying out. (7)
Do the manatees ever die from pollutants in the water? I know that this is an issue in water food chains because small fish or plants become polluted and their prey then become poisioned.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that cold water is a reason for endangerment. Could boaters still use the same water as Manatees, if something were to be done or fixed?
ReplyDeleteAre there laws that protect the Manatee?
ReplyDeleteAbout the laws and saving the manatee, I will address that in my next post. But pollutants are a cause of harm and death for manatees. This is serious, but since manatees (which are herbivores) don't eat fish, they aren't as affected by poisoned fish like most other sea creatures. But polluted water and other toxins do harm them, but boating incidents are the cause of more deaths in the manatee world.
ReplyDeleteMaybe there should be regulations on places to swim to help protect them. Are there other areas with hot water the manatees flee to?
ReplyDeleteIs garbage also a problem for the manatees. I know that some animals that live in the water consume garbage and it affects their insides. Does this happen with the manatees?
ReplyDeleteI had not realized how vital the warm water is to the Mantatee. I have gone swimming parts of the ocean where its warm and there was seagrass amd I complained about it, never realizing it could have been supporting animals in the ocean.
ReplyDeleteCan the manatees ever mistake the pollutants that we throw in the water for food? Because this could have a very big impact on their eatting habits in the future, meaning harm for the entire species.
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