Protecting the Vegetation that Manatees Eat

The way manatees eat provides insight into why they are often called “sea cows.” Daily, these large herbivores, spend a significant portion of their lives grazing in the sea. Typically, they consume more than 100 pounds of food. Furthermore, manatees have a diverse diet that includes a wide variety of saltwater and freshwater aquatic grasses and plants. Their diet largely depends on what’s available wherever they happen to be at any given time. If there’s nothing else to eat, they’ll even resort to consuming small fish.

Research has actually demonstrated that manatee snouts are slightly adapted to their natural environment. With their highly complex mouths, manatees possess the ability to dig for and process substantial amounts of food from a diverse range of sources. These mouths, in conjunction with their front slippers, play a crucial role in meeting their dietary needs. Remarkably, their “marching molars” are consistently shed and regrown throughout their lives—a helpful adaptation to the coarse vegetarian diet they consume.

Vegetation Protection

Because of their eating habits, local authorities must oversee Crystal River and King’s Bay to protect manatees from potential dangers. This proactive approach is essential as manatees are vulnerable to risks due to their feeding behavior. For example, officials need to carefully monitor plants in the region that could harm manatees. If necessary, these plants must be removed to keep “sea cows” safe from their insatiable appetite. Monitoring and taking action are vital to ensure manatees’ well-being.

Regrettably, the challenges concerning manatee vegetation don’t stop there. Natural occurrences like changes in water salinity can affect plants. However, a significant portion of the issues impacting water plants in areas like Crystal River are due to human activity. Many of these problems result from human actions and contribute to the deterioration of aquatic plant life.

One major threat to Crystal River vegetation is eutrophication and higher nitrate levels in the water due to sediment, nutrients, and chemicals introduced by storm-water runoff. These substances change the balance of the ecosystem, leading to an uncontrollable spurt of algae production. More algae may not sound so bad at first, but it can suck up a great deal of oxygen and block light to other plants that need it. However, this can lead to the death of many sources of food for manatees.

Boats can also cause harm when careless drivers navigate boat propellers through seagrass beds. This action leaves behind a scar that might need years to recover. Unfortunately, this healing process can sometimes take too long for the nearby manatee population.

There is a great deal of work being done, including extensive vegetation studies by biologists like Bob Bonde, to monitor and protect the sensitive habit of the Florida manatee. We here at Captain Mike’s Swimming with the Manatees love giving our guests the opportunity to swim with manatees, but it’s even more important to us that they stick around for many years to come.

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