KEY LARGO MANATEE

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MANATEE - Florida Keys Vacation Condo Hotel Resort at Ocean Pointe - Rent Owner Direct Vacation Rental at Ocean Pointe Suite Key Largo - Ocean Pointe Unit #1307 - Views of the Atlantic Ocean - Upper Keys Diving - Dive the Spiegel Grove - Snorkeling and Scuba Diving John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park - Islamorada Deep Sea Fishing - Fish The Everglades - Back Country Fishing - Islamorada Flats Fishing -Kayaking John Pennekamp Park - Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville - Sailing Seminars - Sail with Rick White - Upper Keys Accommodations - OCEAN POINTE MANATEE - KEY LARGO MANATEE

Accommodations Ocean Pointe Hotel Condominiam Rental.

500 BURTON DRIVE, #1307, TAVERNIER, FLORIDA 33070

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MANATEE,SEA COW

MANATEE,SEA COW

Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Sirenia
Family: Trichechidae
Genus: Trichechus

Manatees sometimes known as sea cows. The word "manatee" comes from the Spanish word manati, although the true origination may date from the native Puerto Rican Taino people. The word meaning "breast." Manatees are descended from a four-footed land animal living in Africa and Eurasia which abandoned the land for the sea an estimated 55 to 60 million years ago. Manatees are believed to have evolved from a wading, plant-eating animal.It's theorized this creature made such a dramatic shift because of increased competition for food and space.

There are several species of manatees:

West Indian manatee found in the West Indies and Florida. There are two subspecies of this: Florida manatee and the Antillean manatee.
West African manatee, found in west coast of Africa, and

the Amazonian manatee, in the Amazon basin.

Description: West Indian manatees are large, gray aquatic mammals with bodies that taper to a flat, paddle-shaped tail. Their flat, horizontal tails are pumped up and down to move them along. Despite their small eyes and lack of outer ears, manatees are thought to see and hear quite well. Manatees can hear very well despite the absence of external ear lobes. They are not believed to have the capabilities of echo-location.

Personality: Like us, each manatee has its own personality with likes, dislikes, fears, and sense of play. Some manatees are solitary and stay away from other manatees and people; some manatees play follow-the- leader through the water and come up to quiet people and touch them. They are curious, too!

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LIFE SPAN

Manatees cannot survive in temperatures below 68 degrees (20 Celsius).Manatees do not form permanent bonds when breeding.

Female manatees mature for breeding at about 5 years of age while males mature at 8.

On average, one manatee calf is born every 5 years. The gestation period is about 1 year long.

At birth, manatee calves are 3-4 feet long and weigh 60-70 pounds.

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BEHAVIOR A newborn calf can swim at the surface of the water by itself. The newborn is capable of vocalizing when they are born. Several hours after birth the calf begins to nurse from it's mother's teat. Calves nurse under water. A few weeks after being born the infant begins to nibble on plants. The calf may stay with the mother for up to two years before going out on it's own, it stays with the mother to learn survival, travel routes and warm water refuges.Manatees are mammals. They nurse their young. Most of their time is spent eating, resting, and in travel.

MIGRATION Manatees inhabit the shallow, marshy coastal areas and rivers of the Caribbean shallow, slow-moving rivers, estuaries, saltwater bays, canals and coastal areas. Florida in the winter. Manatees are slow moving, non-aggressive, and generally curious creatures. They enjoy warmer waters and are known to congregate in shallow waters, and frequently migrate through brackish water, estuaries to fresh water springs.

LOCOMOTION A manatee's heart beats at a rate of 50 to 60 beats a minute. The heart rate slows down to 30 beats a minute during a long dive. Manatees are gentle and slow-moving.

FACTS ABOUT MANATEES:


The West African manatee is similar in size and appearance to the West Indian manatee.SIZE : Average 9 to 10 feet long, weighing around 1,000 lbs.. Can grow as large as 13 feet and weigh more than 3,000 lbs. Calves are born weighing about 40 lbs, gaining about 700 lbs. during their first year.

HABITAT The manatee prefers water that has a depth of 1-2 Meters, On the coast the water is about 3-5 meters deep and that is where they travel. The Will avoid currents that are in excess of 5 kilometers. BREATHING AND DIVING Manatees surface for air every 3-5 minutes.
Manatees and their relatives are the only vegetarian marine mammals. They are sometimes known as sea cows, and, like cows that live on land, they eat grass -- but sea grass. The manatee is a herbavour, eating sea plants in the
shallow water that they live in. Most of the sea plant they eat are found on the floor of the ocean or bay they are in at the time, because they do not have the ability to breath under water they have to come up for air about every five minutes.

DISTRIBUTION There are three different species of manatee. The West Indian, West African, and Amazonian. The West Indian Manatee is found in the United States in the state of Florida. It can also be found as far north as Virginia and as far west a Mississippi. The Antillean manatee (a subspecies of the West Indian) is found throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, and south Texas. It is also found from northeast South America all the way down to West Indian manatees are large, gray aquatic mammals with bodies that taper to a flat, paddle-shaped tail. They have two forelimbs, called flippers, with three to four nails. Their head and face are wrinkled with whiskers on the snout.
DIET AND TEETH   Manatees spend 6-8 hours a day feeding. A manatee's teeth (all molars) are constantly being replaced. New teeth come in at the back of the jaw and move forward about a centimeter a month. The front molars eventually fall out and are replaced by the teeth behind them. Manatees have no "biting" teeth, only "grinding" teeth.
REPRODUCTION - Male manatees (bulls) are sexually mature by about nine to ten years, although some have produced viable sperm at two to three years of age. Female manatees (cows) are sexually mature as young as three years of age. Manatee calves are nursed by their mothers for up to 2 years.

PREDATORS: Manatees have few natural predators. The West Indian manatee was discovered in the 1500s by Spanish explorers that hunted them for their meat, hide, and oils. The greatest natural threats are exposure to cold temperatures, hurricanes, and poisoning from red tide.
LIFE SPAN, MORTALITY, POPULATION: West Indian manatees have no natural enemies and it is believed they can live 60 years or more. Many manatee deaths are human-related. Most human-related manatee deaths occur from collisions with watercraft. Other causes of human-related deaths include being crushed or drowned in canal locks and flood control structures; ingestion of fish hooks, litter and monofilament line; entanglement in crab trap lines; and vandalism. Ultimately, however, loss of habitat is the most serious threat facing manatees today.
There are approximately 2,600 manatees left in the United States. Hunted almost to extinction, Florida banned the hunting of manatees in 1893. Manatees are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978.

The Manatee is Florida's official state marine mammal and one of the most endangered species of wildlife in America.

MANATEE   YOU TUBE

DOLPHINS KEY LARGO

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A hurricane is a tropical system with maximum sustained winds of at least 74 mph. At the center of the hurricane is an "eye" that varies in size but is commonly 20 to 30 miles wide. While the storm itself may extend out from the eye several hundred miles, hurricane force winds (74 mph) routinely extend 50 to 100 miles out of the eye. Atlantic hurricanes "spin" in a counter clockwise rotation that is started by the rotation of the earth.

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    OCEAN POINTE Holiday Vacation

Key Largo is known as the "Diving Capital of the World" while Islamorada is called the "Sport Fishing Capital".

Miami to Key West is one of the more memorable automobile tours. Drive the Overseas Highway across a 128 mile chain of subtropical islands.This chain of coral and limestone islands connected by 42 bridges. The waters ranging from aquamarine to deep blue and emerald green. With dazzling sunsets and sunrises. Just off U.S. 1 you can fine an underwater worlds of silent beauty, tropical birds, mangrove islands and the key deer. A prime vacation spot. A place where artists, writers, fishers, and retirees make their homes in the fragile natural resources of the Florida Keys.

Fishing and kayaking are some of the many alluring outdoor adventures in the Upper Keys, a collection of 823 islands.

Your Upper Keys adventure and beach vacation features hiking, biking, kayaking, and some of the best snorkeling in the world! Not to mention a chance to relax on the beach and catch some sun. Explore the Florida Keys including historic and eccentric Key West, the Everglades National Park and the best of Florida’s state parks. Look for the hiden beauity of manatees, alligators, and thousands of exotic birds. Take an air boat ride or do some fishing.

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Local information about tourism, fishing, diving, snorkeling, restaurants, accommodations, lobsters, lighthouses, maps, vacation, fish, birds, plants and history about all the Fabulous Florida Keys including Key Largo, Tavernier, Islamorada Vacation Property

OCEAN POINTE Holiday Vacation

Ocean Pointe Suites at Key Largo. Spread across 67 acres of the Florida Keys ... 2 Lighted tennis courts, large pool, private beach, kayaking, volleyball ...
Key Largo, the longest in the island chain, is a popular bedroom community and a favorite stop for diving,fishing,kayaking and other water sports .It is a window to nature.

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