While Florida's manatees are facing an array of threats, including boat strikes and warming waters, research suggests they are relatively new neighbors in the state.
What's happening?
Click Orlando reported on a study that found that these marine mammals may not have arrived in great numbers in Florida waters until the late 1800s.
The news site explained that the researchers discovered a lack of archaeological or historical evidence that this species lived in this area early on.
The team looked at documented manatee sightings from Native Americans and European colonists, as well as fossils and bones from pre-colonial and colonial times. However, observations were sporadically reported and possibly inaccurate since European explorers had little experience commingling with the species.
"The actual bones of manatees are extremely uncommon on archaeological sites," co-author Thomas J. Pluckhahn, professor of anthropology at the University of South Florida, told the news website. "We do have one or two examples dating back as far as 5,000 years ago, but it seems likely that they were pretty uncommon in Florida."
The scientists say cooler global temperatures starting around 1200 and lasting into the 1800s may have forced Florida manatees to stay in warmer Caribbean waters. Then, an industrial boom in the 1920s kept them there, as newly established electricity-generating power stations on the coast released warm, fresh water into natural waterways — generations of manatees have relied on this heated water to survive since, the publication asserted.
Meanwhile, invasive plants like hydrilla and water hyacinth have helped manatees survive in the region by providing sustenance.
Why is this study important?
Though they may be new to the area, manatees are beloved to Floridians, having become the state's official marine mammal in 1975.
Plus, these animals, also known as "sea cows," fill an important ecological niche in Florida waters, according to Defenders of Wildlife. For instance, the species' eating habits can help prevent the overgrowth of vegetation and control the spread of invasive plants, improving ecosystem health. Manatees can also help fertilize sea grasses and other aquatic vegetation.
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Definitely 👍 However, Florida manatees are in the midst of what officials are calling an "unusual mortality event," marked by a high number of manatee deaths.
"Environmental conditions in portions of the Indian River Lagoon remain a concern," FWC said on its website. "Researchers attributed this UME to starvation due to the lack of seagrasses in the Indian River Lagoon. In recent years, poor water quality in the Lagoon led to harmful algal blooms and widespread seagrass loss."
What's being done to protect manatees?
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, making it illegal to "feed, harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, annoy, or molest," these animals, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The state has also established regulatory speed zones for watercraft located in areas where manatees live or frequent.
In addition, the state manages a manatee conservation program. For instance, FWC focused on improving water quality and aquatic vegetation in the Indian River Lagoon, which experts think can reverse the recent years of loss. Meanwhile, a number of non-profit groups like the National Wildlife Federation support conservation efforts such as habitat protection.
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