Manatee Gathering at Florida Park

• 07 Feb 2024

Source: BBC

Blue Spring State Park, Florida, USA reported a gathering of nearly 1,000 manatees. The gathering of manatees may be due to several reasons, like-

• Drop in temperature to 14.1°C, a decline in seagrass (manatees' primary food), due to algae blooms on Florida coast, and to seek protection from watercraft collisions.
• Manatees (sea cows) are typically solitary animals.
  • Sea cows, comprising manatees and dugongs, consist of four manatee species and one dugong species, belonging to the herbivorous Dugongidae family.
    • Manatees dwell in zones such as the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Amazon, East and West Africa, while dugongs inhabit coastal regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
    • IUCN Status: Manatees and dugongs are both are Vulnerable.
    • Dugongs: Schedule 1 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

Read more: Manatees