Manatees

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Manatees of Homosassa Florida
The West Indian Manatee, or it’s Florida species, the Florida Manatee, is a large, plant-eating aquatic mammal that is commonly found in the shallow coastal waters, rivers, canals, and springs of Florida. Manatees range in color from gray to brown. They are shaped like a seal and have flat, rounded tails. The upper part of it’s body has two small forelimbs with three to four nails on each flipper. The head and face are usually wrinkled and the snout has stiff whiskers. Manatees have been known to hold their breath for as long as 20 minutes but usually surface about every 5 minutes to breathe. Adult manatees are an average of 10 feet long and 1,200 pounds, but they can grow up to 15 feet long and weigh as much as 3,000 pounds! The largest aggregation of manatees in Citrus County are found during the winter months in the Blue Waters area of Homosassa and around the springs in Kings Bay at Crystal River, where they are afforded special protection in the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge.

Manatees, appearing as large dark gray or brown objects in clear water, are often observed swimming, resting, or feeding near seagrass beds in coastal Citrus County (identifiable as beige or dark green patches against white colored sand). In darker waters, manatees are more difficult to see, but may be identified by their dark, round snouts when the manatee breaks the surface of the water to breathe. Large, circular swirls in the water may also indicate the presence of manatees.

The Florida Manatee is directly related to the West Indian manatee, which is related to the West African manatee, the Amazonian manatee, the dugong, and to the Steller’s sea cow, which was hunted to extinction in 1768.

Manatees can be found in shallow, slow-moving rivers, estuaries, saltwater bays, canals and coastal areas. Manatees are a migratory species. Within the United States, manatees are concentrated in Florida in the winter, but they can be found in summer months as far west as Texas and as far north as Virginia. However, these sightings are rare. Summer sightings in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina are common. West Indian Manatees can also be found in the coastal and inland waterways of Central America and along the northern coast of South America, although distribution in these areas may be spotty.

Manatees are gentle and slow-moving. Most of their time is spent eating, resting, and in travel. Manatees are completely herbivorous. They eat aquatic plants and can consume 10-15% of their body weight daily in vegetation. They graze for food along water bottoms and on the surface. They may rest submerged at the bottom or just below the surface, coming up to breathe on the average of every three to five minutes. When manatees are using a great deal of energy, they may surface to breathe as often as every 30 seconds.

The minimum population is estimated between 2,500 to 3,000. However, continued coastal development and habitat loss threatens the manatees survival. High mortality, primarily associated with human activity, as well as a low reproductive rate and loss of habitat continue to threaten the future of the species. Manatees are endangered marine mammals, protected by the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. It is illegal to hunt, capture, kill, harass, or disturb manatees.

Protecting Manatees
Citrus County plays a vital role in meeting the challenge of protecting the endangered manatee. Citrus County residents actively protect the manatee and the county’s natural resources. Citrus County became the first county in the state to adopt a countywide , comprehensive manatee protection plan. This plan includes education, habitat protection, boat facility policies, and manatee protection speed zones. Seven of the county’s rivers are designated as Outstanding Florida Waters and provide habitat that is essential to the survival of the manatee.

The Crystal and Homosassa Rivers are home to one of the largest winter populations of manatees on the west coast of Florida. Great numbers of these gentle giants seek the county’s warm-water springs, rivers and other waterways for sanctuary from the colder Gulf of Mexico waters. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS) has designated seasonal sanctuaries within Crystal River where manatees can rest, feed, mate and give birth. Additional sanctuaries are still under consideration. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has established manatee protection boating speed zones to reduce the number of manatees that are injured or killed by boat propellers and hull impacts. The Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park’s main springs serves as a staging area where ill or injured manatees are taking for rehabilitation.

1. Wear polarized sunglasses while operating a boat.
2. Be alert to signs of manatee presence such as swirls, or the tip of the snout breaking the water when surfacing to breath.
3. Stay within marked channels. Avoid shallow grass beds where manatees feed and rest.
4. Follow all posted speed zones and caution signs. Manatees move slowly and have trouble evading boats at higher speeds.
5. DO NOT ENTER a manatee sanctuary for any reason. Designated manatee sanctuaries are closed to all waterborne activities including fishing.
6. DO NOT FEED, PURSUE or CHASE manatees while boating or swimming. This is defined as harassment and is against the law.
7. Stow your trash and retrieve any discarded fishing line and hooks. Manatees can be injured or killed by swallowing plastic debris or becoming entangled in abandoned monofilament or trap line.
8. Report injured, dead or tagged manatees to the FWC Law Enforcement at 1-888-404-FWCC or VHF Channel 16, and to the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Reserve.