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Published: January 11th 2011
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Manatee Underwater 1
A manatee seen underwater. Wrinkled gray skin and stiff whiskers make for a comic appearance. TECO Photo. For perhaps as long as two million years, manatees have called the temperate waters of the Florida peninsula home. A vegetarian that feeds on the sea grasses, often called the sea cow, the manatee is the most inoffensive of animals. In fact, the manatee may well be the basis of many mermaid legends. There are many places where you can view manatees; TECO’s Big Bend Power Plant, for example. There are also places where you can swim with the manatees following State and Federal guidelines. Swimming in the shallow waters, the manatee is often the victim of power boats. If not injured by the collision, the manatee is at an even graver risk from the spinning propeller. Many manatees bear the scars of such encounters.
Over time the manatees have adapted to the warmer waters that can be found in spring ponds and runs and in shallow bays. In the colder months of the winter the manatees congregate in the warmer waters until spring. Manatees that do not make it to the protected areas run a severe risk of dying of hypothermia. The local Florida newspapers count the toll of dead manatees at every cold spell.
TECO, the Tampa
Manatee in Shallow Water
The shallow water of the east end of the lagoon affords a good look at the slow and casual swimming style of the manatee. Electric Company, operates a large power plant near Apollo Beach on the eastern shore of Tampa Bay. Four large coal burning boilers produce steam to generate 1,700 megawatts of electricity. The exhaust from the boilers, scrubbed and precipitated, is within Federal guidelines. The treated water used to make the steam is condensed back to a liquid; the water vapor from the cooling water taken from the inlet is often seen emanating from the four tall stacks. That only leaves the left over heat in the form of warm water that is discharged back into the inlet. In other places that may seem to be pollution, altering the habitat and endangering the native species of plants, animals and fish. At TECO’s power plant that is not the case at all, the warm water is a life saver for the manatee. It is a remarkable habitat. There were hundreds of manatees in the lagoon as well as grouper, rays and sharks enjoying the warmth of the water.
For twenty five years the Tampa Electric Company has maintained a part of its property as a manatee viewing site that is open to the public free of charge. Boardwalks, an elevated platform and
Manatee surfacing For Air
The manatee at rest may stay submerged for as long as twenty minute before needing to surface for air. a causeway offer multiple viewing areas; each place offering a unique peek at manatees and the other marine life that winter in the inlet. As well, TECO also provides a small visitor center with educational displays, some interactive intended for school children. TECO has also constructed a walkway out into the inlet. It divides it into a cold and warm zone. It passes through the mangroves that line the bank of the inlet. It is an opportunity to see the other animals and plants that live in this unique aquatic environment. Many of the manatees are identifiable by the patterns of scars and mutilation. A display of some of the more identifiable individuals is posted in the elevated boardwalk veranda. If you are in the Tampa Bay area it is a worthwhile attraction. It is a good example of industry doing something good for the environment.
Adult manatees are about eight to ten feet long and weigh as much as 1,000 pounds. A baggy and wrinkled gray or brown skin gives the manatee a comical appearance. It has a tapered body with a large flat tail. Small forelegs or flippers hang from the front of the body. Prominent stiff whiskers
Shallow Swimmer
The manatee swimming just under the surface of the water. Hard to see from a distane, especially from a fast boat, the manatees are frequently rammed by boats or badly cut by the propellors. help the manatee find food in the sometimes murky water. I sometimes wonder about the sailors, how much grog they had consumed, when they though these animals to be beautiful mermaids.
The manatees are casual, slow swimmers most of the time. They glide through the water propelled by their large flat tail using their flippers to guide them. On occasion they exhibit acrobatics; swimming upside down, doing head stands and rolls. They can remain submerged as long as twenty minutes before coming up for a breath. When active they surface every three to five minutes. The manatees spend as much as eight hours a day feeding on water grasses and vegetation, consuming as much as 100 pounds each day.
At the TECO facility you have many opportunities to watch the manatees. There are no provisions for swimming with the manatees however. TECO as a good neighbor offers a place to come, see and learn about the manatees but they are not in the tourist business. There are many places that do offer the experience of swimming with the manatees. A quick search of the internet will turn up many tour operators with a variety of perks. All of
Manatees Surfacing
Two manatees surfacing for a breath of air. They seem as curious about us as we are about them. them have to follow strict guide lines outlined by both State and Federal authorities about the actual encounters. Basically, you can swim with the manatees but maintain a discrete distance. You don’t approach the manatees unless their curiosity brings them to you.
My wife took me to see the manatees at the Big Bend Power Plant. I think she believes it satisfied my curiosity about them. Perhaps not as my curiosity is even greater, the visit to Big Bend has only whetted my interest and perhaps swimming with the manatees is next! Yes, and I'll need that underwater camera I have been looking at...
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Beverly
non-member comment
Are the maNATEES THERE NOW 2/4/11 WE WOULD LOVE TO COME SEESOME ???