Manatees are aquatic mammals from the Sirenia family, with three species: the African, West Indian, and Amazonian manatees. They typically live in tropical and subtropical waters across Africa, North America, and South America.
West African and West Indian manatees can be found in rivers, bays, lagoons, and coastal regions. These manatees can migrate between freshwater, brackish, and saltwater habitats. The Amazonian manatee, however, is restricted to the freshwater Amazon basin and is primarily found in Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia, where it is rare and near extinction. Let’s explore their habitats in more detail.
Where Do Manatees Live?
The manatee prefers the murky waters of estuaries, bays, lagoons, and slow-moving rivers. It seeks warmer areas if necessary, as it cannot tolerate water temperatures below 8°C and prefers them to be above 20°C.
Manatees generally live alone or in small family groups. However, during winter storms in tropical seas, they gather in larger numbers near heated power plant discharges or warm spring outflows. In the chilly morning hours, they hang vertically in the water, with only their snouts visible. As the day warms, more of their bodies appear at the surface.
As a mammal, the manatee must surface to breathe. While it can remain underwater for up to 15 minutes, it typically resurfaces every five to 10 minutes. It cannot survive outside the water due to its inability to move effectively and its need for water support to breathe because of its heavy body.
5 Places Manatees Are Found
The four groups of sea cows each have their geographic ranges, which do not overlap and are often far apart. Let’s explore where you can observe Manatees.
1: Manatees at Citrus County
Citrus County is known as the manatee capital of the world. Tour companies offer various ways to see these gentle creatures up close in the warm, clear spring waters they inhabit year-round. Depending on your preferences, you can take a tour boat, kayak, canoe, or even swim or dive with the manatees. It’s one of the best places to experience these remarkable animals.
2: Three Sisters Springs, Crystal River
Three Sisters Springs, a prime manatee hotspot, serves as the Gulf Coast’s main winter sanctuary for manatees. Although manatees inhabit Kings Bay year-round, the area receives special protection during winter months and can only be viewed from the boardwalk.
From April to November, you may spot up to 30 manatees in the summer. Visitors can swim, kayak, and canoe with the manatees on a scheduled tour, adhering to strict interaction guidelines. The spring’s crystal-clear waters enhance the experience, making it one of the most visually stunning springs in the state.
3: Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland
Manatee Springs State Park, near Chiefland, provides a warm-water refuge for manatees during winter. These gentle creatures migrate up the Suwannee River to Florida’s springs in the cooler months. From November to April, you can observe manatees in the area as a connecting run brings them to the park. Known for its first-magnitude spring, which releases 100 million gallons of clean water daily, the park is a popular destination for kayaking, snorkelling, and scuba diving year-round.
4: Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Spring Hill
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, located one hour north of Tampa in Spring Hill, is home to endangered West Indies manatees. These gentle creatures often gather at an extinct spring known as Hospital Hole. You can float down the Weeki Wachee River’s crystal-clear waters, surrounded by cypress and oak trees, to see the manatees gliding gracefully. Observation platforms allow you to watch these mammals in their natural habitat.
5: Manatee Observation and Educational Center, Fort Pierce
The Florida manatee can be seen at the Manatee Observation and Instructional Center in Fort Pierce, located on Florida’s east coast. You can explore a boardwalk and observation tower that offers various attractive viewing opportunities.
While manatees are visible at Moore’s Creek year-round, winter offers the best chance for optimal viewing. Visit the exhibit hall to see live marine and freshwater manatees and learn about their behaviours.
5 Threats To Manatees’ Habitats
Humans are the biggest threat to manatees. Their slow movements and peaceful nature make them vulnerable to changes caused by people. Activities like fishing, boating, and land development put manatees at serious risk. To protect them, certain areas have been designated as safe zones, marked by signs that ban motorboat traffic. Let’s look at some of the threats to their habitats.
1: Boats & Fishing Equipment
Manatees typically live in shallow waters like rivers, canals, and coastal areas. These habitats make them vulnerable to fishing gear and boats. Unfortunately, interactions with watercraft account for around 20% of manatee deaths. Despite their large size, reaching up to 10 feet, manatees can be hard to spot when boats move quickly through inland waterways.
Manatees are highly sensitive to cold temperatures, which is why they avoid deep waters unless a storm occurs. This makes them more likely to get accidentally caught in fishing gear. Although manatees can hold their breath for 20 minutes, they still need to surface for air. When trapped in fishing nets, they can’t reach the surface and may drown.
2: Starvation Caused by HAB
Malnutrition has caused an unprecedented number of manatee deaths in Florida. As plant-eaters, manatees rely on seagrass for nourishment. The rise of harmful algal blooms (HABs) has significantly reduced the availability of this vital food source. In response, manatees are eating the remaining contaminated seagrass, which leads to poisoning. The seagrass becomes toxic due to the “red tide,” causing convulsions and drowning in manatees that ingest it.
3: High-Level Pollution
Plastic pollution is harming manatee habitats and causing fatalities. Manatees are ingesting plastic bags drifting in the water, which clog their digestive systems. Some have been found dead, with postmortem investigations revealing plastic bags linking their stomach and intestines. In another case, a manatee had an open wound after being trapped in a plastic bag for two years. Additionally, manatees often become entangled in waste while swimming in shallow areas where debris is caught on plants.
4: Manatee Habitats Temperature
Manatees and their ecosystems are vulnerable to fluctuating water temperatures. These animals are particularly sensitive to cold because, like humans, they are at risk of hypothermia. Cold weather-related hypothermia and frostbite are leading causes of manatee mortality unrelated to human activities. When water temperatures drop below 68 degrees due to cold fronts or poor weather, manatees that haven’t migrated to warmer waters often die. Unlike seals and whales, manatees have less fat, making them more susceptible to cold stress. Once they lose body heat, they stop digesting food, which can be fatal.
5: Human Impacts on Manatees’ Habitats
Human activities are damaging manatee habitats, primarily through recreation and fishing. Manatees live in coastal seas, estuaries, rivers, and heavily trafficked boating areas. These creatures consume seagrass, which grows in shallow, sunny waters, so they spend a lot of time near the surface. This increases their risk of being struck by boats, which remains a leading cause of manatee deaths.
Marine debris also harms manatees. Like other aquatic animals such as turtles, whales, and sharks, manatees can become entangled in fishing lines or ingest plastic waste. In some cases, manatee flippers are amputated due to fishing net entanglement.
4 Ways to Protect Manatees Habitats
Protecting and conserving manatee habitats is essential for maintaining ecosystem balance.
1: Decrease Pollution and Harmful Toxins
Reducing chemical and plastic pollution helps protect manatees, prevent seagrass die-offs, and safeguard Florida’s rivers from algal blooms. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) researchers report that plastic waste contributes to one in ten manatee deaths. They recall a manatee that died after ingesting a 3-foot ball of plastic bags the size of a cantaloupe, with a smaller piece later found in its digestive system.
Many multilayer plastics are non-recyclable, obstruct recycling efforts, and end up in the environment, threatening wildlife. To help protect manatee habitats, avoid products with excess packaging and reduce waste. Additionally, using natural landscaping methods without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides is crucial, as toxins often enter waterways through runoff.
2: Take caution while boating
Boat crashes contribute to 20% to 25% of manatee deaths, the highest rate among marine creatures, according to a 10-year study by the FWC. Another study found that mooring and boat traffic caused a 58% reduction in underwater vegetation, including seagrass density.
To protect marine life, it’s essential to follow safe boating practices. Avoid seagrass meadows and manatee habitats whenever possible. If avoiding seagrass is difficult, trimming the motor and idling in deeper waters can help prevent habitat destruction.
3: Avoid Feeding the Manatees
It is prohibited to feed manatees or provide them with fresh water, even though the FWC recently voted to trial feeding to help improve their survival chances. The FWC is concerned about how this decision could encourage disregard for the law, with violations carrying a fine of up to $500 and a 60-day jail sentence. Federal penalties for feeding endangered wildlife can reach $100,000 in fines and up to a year in prison. Feeding manatees can cause them to associate humans and boats with food, increasing the risk of accidents and fatalities.
4: Make Donations of Time and Resources
You can help protect manatees and prevent seagrass loss by donating your time to cleanup campaigns. Many statewide manatee conservation groups offer a calendar of activities in which individuals can register to participate.
The most effective ways to protect the environment include staying informed, donating funds, and providing necessary supplies to support wildlife protection efforts in Florida.
Conclusion
Manatees live in shallow, slow-moving waters such as rivers, estuaries, saltwater bays, canals, and coastal areas, especially where seagrass beds or freshwater plants grow. While they tend to be solitary, they are comfortable in areas with other manatees. However, human development along rivers often removes their natural habitats, and pollution from sewage, manure, and fertilizer runoff can lead to harmful algal blooms. To protect manatees, boaters should follow speed zone signs and stay alert for their presence. Proper disposal of plastic and trash also helps preserve their environment.
FAQs
Do manatees live in freshwater?
Yes, they are typically found in freshwater throughout most of the year. They prefer the calmer rivers, estuaries, bays, and canals along Florida’s coast.
Do manatees live in saltwater?
Yes, manatees do. They get all the freshwater they need by eating plants, so they don’t need to drink water.
Where are manatees found in the world?
Manatees inhabit the shallow, marshy coastal areas and rivers of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Amazon basin, and West Africa.
What city in Florida has manatees?
You can spot this beautiful mammal in several cities across Florida, including Orlando, Homosassa, Miami, Sarasota, and Bradenton.