This week’s challenge asks that we share a photograph of a sign. Unless you’ve visited shallow inlets around the Treasure/Space Coast or Florida Gulf, you probably haven’t seen this one!
The manatees found in Florida are a geographical sub-unit of the West Indian manatee, Trichechus Manatus. Their ideal habitat is 3-7′ deep, warm water (above 70degrees) where the sun can penetrate and maintain underwater plant life. Manatees are the only aquatic mammals that are herbivores; they feed indiscriminately on submerged or floating vegetation, with seagrasses being a major staple in their diet.
The pictures that follow were taken in June, 2011 at Round Island Riverside Park, and are an accurate representation of the manatees’ natural habitat. If you look behind the girls and toward the left, you’ll see the back of the sign from pic 1.
This next angle gives a better perspective of the type of shallow, calm waters these creatures call home.
Per a 2009 survey, there are at least 3800 Florida manatees, a good sign their population has stabilized since they were last counted in 2001. To learn more, check out the species profile page at the Smithsonian Marine Station Website.
Until next time…..
🙂 🙂 🙂
Related articles
- Morning photo: Manatee madness (summitcountyvoice.com)
- Zoologger: The sea cow with super-sensing hairs (newscientist.com)
24 thoughts on “Weekly Photo Challenge: Signs”
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small house/BIG GARDEN 
They forgot to add “Do not ride the manatees”! People have been doing this lately. For what reason? I do not know!
OMG! I saw that while I was researching the Manatee info for this post! what kind of crazy weirdo does stuff like that!!! and from what I read, there’s been more than one!!
They keep showing up on the news, especially in Manatee county and usually it is tourists behind it. Seriously flawed behavior!
So the survey shows that the signs work! 🙂
Yes, evidently….there’s been some mysterious infection getting some of our Indian River Lagoon manatees these past few months of 2013. Scientists assume it has something to do with the red tide spike of the past year or so. If I get more definitive news I’ll do a full manatee post sometime!
Good to know that the sign helps.
Great information, as always. Thank you!
Probably the same folks who feed the gators 🙂
pity we have to have signs to protect our animals and mammals… but it seems to be working if populations are stable… now if we could only have that kind of success for our poor rhinos…
Such evocative pictures!
The sign reminds me of a favorite book from my childhood. It contains the often repeated line …. Never tease a weasel not even once or twice a weasel will not like it, and teasing isn’t nice . 🙂
Well, in a world where restaurants have to post the fact that a hot cup of coffee is, indeed, hot to protect themselves from lawsuits, I guess signs to protect wildlife (and humans from themselves) are necessary!
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting manatees in FLA when my sister lived there. Such gentle creatures. I found you via JMMcD and enjoyed this post.
Jagoda
Thank you so much Jagoda! JM is one of my FAVORITE bloggers!
Yes the manatee is wonderful and gentle. One time when my daughter and I were snorkeling in the Sebastian Inlet, we were RIGHT next to one. We joked afterwards that it was hanging out with us, because that’s EXACTLY what it seemed like!
Manatees remind me of Dugongs (Dugong dugon). They look similar but different species. Dugongs live around northern waters of Australia, western Pacific Ocean to Eastern coast of Africa.
This blog also reminds me of my posting about Australian road signs back in 2009:
http://kiyanti2008.wordpress.com/2009/01/17/odd-road-signs-in-australia/