~ ~ ~ manatees & dugongs ~ ~ ~

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Vietnam War veteran Stan Meeks spent 12 years in the U.S. military.

These days he's better known as the manatee warrior.

"I found a place where I can use the skills I learned in the military to protect weak and defenseless animals," said the 55-year-old Meeks, scouring the swamps of Florida's lower Suwannee River for any signs of manatees.

Full Article: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061020-manatees.html

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Manatees have become endangered because of hunting for their hides, meat, and blubber oil. The United States has made a law to protect these gentle creatures. One useful trait of the manatee is that they irrigate and clear the channels they live in when they eat. Many scientists are trying to figure out a way to keep the manatees from becoming extinct. The way things are, the next generation probably won't be born to see this graceful creature.

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Manatees and dugongs are large, gentle animals that spend their whole lives in the water.

Manatees and dugongs are large, gentle animals that spend their whole lives in the water. They are mammals and need to breathe air like you and me. Manatees and dugongs can grow to be as long a 13 feet and can weigh up tp 3,500 pounds. That's about the same size as a mini-bus. Manatees and dugongs have grayish tough and wrinkled skin. They have single bristle-like hairs scattered all over their seal-like bodies and thick whiskers on their snouts. While manatees have a paddle-shaped tail. the dugongs have a tail that is pointed on the ends, very much like a whale's. Both species use their tails t move their bodies through the water. They have two limbs in the front of their body which they use for actions like steering and scooping up food. Manatees and dugongs have very small eyes yet they can see fairly well. They have no external ears by they can hear very well. Manatees and dugongs rest by floating near the surface of the water or by lying on the bottom. They can hold their breath for about 20 minutes which is much longer than we can. However, they usually com to breathe every three to five minutes. Manatees and dugongs can live as long as 60 years.

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