Manatee Tails

I think the part of a manatee most people see, aside from a quick glimpse of a nose as the animal comes up for air, is the tail.  I know it's the first--and only--part of a manatee I saw, nearly 20 years ago during a trip to Captiva Island in Florida.  Three of the great beasts were feeding in the marina, and in the murky water I couldn't see anything but their tails, which were just at or above the surface.  The entire time I watched they never came up for air.

Impressive, paddle-like tails are the manatees' only means of propulsion, so they have to be strong and wide.  The tail is an extension of the backbone--if a manatee ever had back legs they are long gone now.  Front flippers and tails are all they get to conduct their aquatic acrobatics.

Their tails look to me like prickly pear cactus.

I was happy it was bright enough to stop the action and catch the water sheeting off their tails.

The last photos are a series of shots of a manatee splashing its tail on the surface.

We left the run shortly after this.  The park closed at 6:15 (sundown) and we had to get back to the launch and load up the boats.  But on the way we were blessed with one more gift from the park.

Next:  A life list bird!

More Manatee Mania!

 Florida 2012 continued.

I promised more manatee photos and here they are!  As I said in my last post, we spent close to an hour watching these gentle creatures rolling and cavorting in the shallow waters of the Blue Spring Run.  Flippers, snouts, tails--all manner of body parts were rising, rolling and splashing.  It was an amazing sight and an incredible experience and I have a whole new opinion about these beautiful creatures.

We watched several pairs frolicking, although at least one pair wasn't a pair at all but a triplet.  These two look like they're smooching!

Nose holes open...

Nose holes closed.

Manatee hugs.  Click on this image and you can see their spikey little hairs!

You can clearly see three manatees in this photo--two noses and one back.

 

Algae actually grows on the backs of these slow-moving, shallow-water creatures.

I love this shot.  I had no idea manatees had toenails until I looked at this picture later that night.  I then read that they have three nails, but I'm pretty sure I see four.

This shot is a bit blurry but I love how you can see, thanks to the angle of the light, all of its finger bones.  It's one way you know these were once animals that walked on dry land.

We kept hearing the sound of them exhaling as they'd come up for air, and I was so excited when I caught one in the act.

Every once in a while one would surface and just sort of hang there, as if posing.  I think this manatee looks a lot like a walrus from this angle.   Look at that fuzzy snout!!

I will have one more batch of photos and then I'll move on to the first of my bird "firsts" on this trip, as well as our sojourn into the Canaveral National Seashore.

Manatee Madness!

I have to start this post by admitting that I have never been a big manatee fan.  Not that I dislike them--I just never quite understood the appeal.  Sure, they're cute--if you can see them from underwater and you like large gray lumps of floating blubber.  I have seen a few on various trips to Florida, all of them at Blue Spring State Park.  Last year we even had one swim very near our kayaks, which freaked us all out--what if it surfaced under our boats and flipped us?  Not the water I want to take a dip in, black and infested with alligators. 

But manatees are why most people come to Blue Spring, as it is place where the manatees can find relative warmth during the chill days of winter.  The water that comes out of the spring is 72 degrees.  Manatees, being warm blooded, need warm water in order to survive.  In very cold winters there can be a 100 or more crowded into the warm waters of the run.  This year, due to the relatively warm winter, the numbers were down.  I heard a ranger mention that there were only 14 there that day.  That still seemed like a lot but what do I know.  Lori was excited to see manatees so I was happy there were any there at all.

So up until this trip I had really only seen manatees as most people had--from an observation deck, looking down, the animals flattened out by the refraction of light through the water.  They always seemed so sedentary, lifeless almost, and the most exciting thing we ever saw happen was one lift its nose out of the water to breathe.  What was the big deal?

Well....

We were getting ready to head back to the boat launch after our potty break at the day use area.  Lisa overheard a ranger telling a couple in a canoe who where on their way in that there were a few manatees very near the end of the run, where it meets the river, if they wanted to paddle back and take a look.  The area is cordoned off--they don't allow boats of any kind in the run when the manatees are present--but boats could be pulled up to the rope.   We had already paddled near several manatees in the river that day, and at least one was in the lagoon with us, but we decided to paddle over and take a look.

When we got there, this is what we saw:

Backstroke!

Manatees were splashing and playing and rolling in the shallow waters.  I couldn't get my camera out fast enough!

Manatees in pairs and threes frolicked in the run.  Playing?  Mating?  Both?  Who cared, it was fascinating to watch.

Our water-eye view combined with the evening sun made the perfect combination for watching this spectacle.  We were absolutely in the right place at the right time.

  

We were in awe.  We had no idea these animals would put on such a show.  They came closer and closer, so close that I couldn't get them in the frame.  A few even swam under our boats, much to the delight of Lori and Lisa.  There was much squealing and laughing, and we were so glad we had stopped to take a look.

I took over 500 photos (thanks, 8 GB card!) but only 100 or so were worth keeping.  I won't bore you with all of them, but you can look forward to at least one more manatee post!