Essays on Manatee

INTRODUCTION

There was a time when the world was almost entirely covered by forests, marshes, mountains and rainforests however, as human societies became more and more industrialized and the population continued to grow more and more natural environments were cleared to accommodate housing needs of people, the grazing lands for animals, room for human industries, and the obtaining of natural energy resources, like coal and oil. This is a reality for many states in the United States. That being said there are many people who have never spent a single day surrounded by authentic nature. It was in the 1860s ...

Do we need that Endangered Species Act?

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 was an innovative measure for the future of nature and continues to protect the diversity of the animal and plant kingdom of the United States. This law is important to the survival of all living things because every living organism depends on the life of another living thing to survive, including humans. Aquatic species in Florida are essential for the health of the environment in which it lives. For example, because all creatures and plants depend on each other for survival, when one species is allowed to become extinct, all other species in ...

Ugliness is an adjective just like many others. However, it stands apart from some as it is nonspecific and, arguably, entirely down to individual opinion. Unlike a more fixed adjective, such as green, for example, ugly can be applied to almost anything. Likewise, however, it can also be ruled out when describing something. Opinion on what can be described as ugly varies vastly from person to person. Ugly can be defined as something which is offensive or repulsive. These are both strong words which evoke powerful images and responses. An adjective such as ugly can be applied to almost anything ...

The temperate climate of South Florida provides a suitable environment for a large variety of plants and animals in the area (Kras, 2009). Its unique water habitat provides a home for many reptiles and other endangered species such as the manatee, the Florida panther and the wood stork. In addition, most of the wading birds are endangered and need to be preserved.

Birds

According to Kras (2009), more than 360 species of birds exist or visit the Everglades. Some of this includes wading birds, of which currently about 90 to 95 percent have disappeared. This is because of construction of dikes and poor ...

Introduction

The Florida manatee is part of the species Trichechus manatus latirostris and their closest relative on earth now is the elephant. Florida manatees are part of the scientific order Sirenia and the family Trichechidae. They are a migratory species and move from ocean waters of Brazil to those of the Gulf of Mexico. The shift due to climate change has caused them to migrate further north.

They have a low basal metabolism causing them to move slowly as they look for warm water such as the warm natural spring fed rivers of Florida (Reynolds & Clay 2000), the warm water effluent ...