July 1, 2026 • 9 mins
Manatees swim the calm waterways of tropical Atlantic coastlines with no worries of natural predators. Learn why humans are their only real danger -- and how we can help -- in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/manatees.htm; https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/manatees-see-underwater.htm
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey brain Stuff
Lauren Vogelbaum. Here. Growing up in South Florida, I saw
a lot of PSAs about how to watch out for
and avoid harming manatees in our local waterways. I could
still sing some of the jingles for you, but I won't.
(00:22):
You're welcome. I never ran across one in the wild,
but it's hard not to feel protective of these ponderous
aquatic mammals in all of their bumbling bulk. Manatees are
herbivores that migrate around networks of shallow, calm, warm, mostly
fresh waters, including rivers, estuaries, canals, coastal areas, and saltwater bays.
(00:47):
There are three species of these slow, sizable swimmers, the
Amazonian manatees, which hang out along the Amazon River, the
West African manatees, which swim the west coast and rivers
of Africa and the Floridian and care be and manatees,
which live along the America's East coast from Virginia to Brazil.
For the article, this episode is based on How Stuffworks.
(01:08):
Spoke by email Shyanne Canon and now the program project
coordinator at the Save the manatees club, She said. Fossil
remains of manatee ancestors show that they have inhabited Florida
for about forty five million years. Modern manatees have been
in Florida for over one million years, probably with intermittent
absences during the Ice Ages. The present Florida manatee is
(01:29):
a subspecies endemic or native to Florida. Genetic studies indicate
that it is not derived from the populations in Mexico
or Central America, but more likely colonized Florida from the
Greater Antilles thousands of years ago after the last Ice Age.
See lore has it that sailors used to mistake manatees
(01:50):
for mythical mermaids. That's why the taxonomical order they belong
to is named Synia, after the sirens of Greek mythology.
Manatees have rod heavily whiskered snouts. Their long, round bodies
come to a taper at a flat, paddle shaped tail.
Their two flippers each have three to four nails. Their
(02:10):
tough skin is gray and wrinkled, and they are as
cute as they are corpulent. At birth. They can be
as big as four and a half feet long. That's
one and a half meters and weigh some sixty five
pounds or thirty kilos. When they're fully grown, manates can
weigh around one two hundred pounds or five hundred and
fifty kilos and reach ten feet or three meters in length.
(02:34):
The largest of the species can grow to twice that
weight and an extra three feet or meter in length,
Cannon said. New research has indicated that manates have very
sensitive body hairs, which are able to detect subtle changes
in water movement around them. Scientists had previously wondered how
manates might navigate, as their eyesight isn't very good and
(02:57):
the manatees eyeballs, positioned far back on both sides of
its head, are slightly larger than marbles on such an
enormous body, The dark orbs measure under an inch in
diameter about two centimeters. They're about half the size of
human eyeballs, but manatees bodies are, as said above, much
larger than ours. They can't perceive colors outside of blues
(03:19):
and greens, and tend to be near sighted. The shallow
waters they live in are often murky, so it makes
sense that they didn't waste too much evolution on their eyes.
Those sensitive body hairs of theirs are called vibrissi. They're
rooted in blood filled follicles that trevor nerve impulses when
the hairs are touched or moved. The follicles connect to
(03:42):
around fifty nerves each, which signal the brain of the
increased pressure from any surrounding motion. Manates also hear far
better than humans. They do best at higher frequencies, communicating
with each other through calls and whistles. Scientists are investigating
how well manates can detect low frequency sounds and if
(04:03):
they use their vibrasi to do so. With adaptations like these,
manatees naturally compensate for their blackluster vision. But okay, what
are manatees like? Cannon said, Manates are incredibly calm and
curious animals. In fact, they can be so curious that
they find themselves in dangerous situations, such as approaching a
(04:25):
boat in the wild. Manatees are typically independent, but they're
not territorial and can be found in large groups in
warm water springs. Manates are not aggressive at all and
have no natural predators. They interact peacefully with alligators. Manates
spend most of their time either resting or traveling with
(04:46):
a lot of eating along the way. They forage sea
grass or freshwater vegetation wherever they go. An adult manatee
can eat a tenth of its own weight in twenty
four hours, which can be a problem if that plant
based diet becomes scarce. From December of twenty twenty through
April of twenty twenty two, which was to be fair
(05:07):
a difficult time for most of US, a joint state
and National Wildlife Working group documented an unprecedented number of
manatee deaths from starvation due to a loss of forage
plants along Florida's East coast. It seems that water pollution
had been killing off the beds of sea grass that
manatees Grayson. However, they've been able to turn this disaster
(05:29):
around in the years since by providing immediate help in
the form of supplemental feeding and animal rescue and rehabilitation
of plus long term support through habitat restoration and ongoing
surveys of manatees migration, and health. They were able to
close the case in twenty twenty five after having recorded
no manatee deaths from lack of food in two years.
(05:52):
While adult manatees are too large to have natural predators
and can live for up to sixty years or more.
Their lives are often cut short due to human related causes.
The number one Culprit Watercraft Cannon explained manatees spend majority
of their time in shallow water, especially in Florida. Boats
(06:13):
are common in these same shallow waters. Boats present two
threats to manatees. The boat propeller, which can cut a
manatee multiple times, causing devastating damage, and the boat hull,
which can cause severe blunt force trauma if the boat
impacts the manatee at a high speed. If you're ever
headed out on a boat in known manate territory, make
(06:35):
sure to stay in deep water when possible, and practice
common sense and take a few precautions. You can look
up tips, but basically obey posted speed zones, aware polarized
sunglasses to reduce glare from the water, and keep a
lookout for manatees with a designated spotter if possible, especially
when you're starting up your motor. Canon said the best
(06:58):
thing that boaters can do to help protect manates is
to boat carefully in areas where manates are common. Voters
should also obey all posted speed signs. Manate zones are
researched extensively for their importance to manatees and the likelihood
that manatees will be present. Manate Zones are not decided
willy nilly. Voters can also keep an eye out for
(07:19):
manatees that may need help, such as lone calves, amanatees
with fresh wounds, or manatees that may be cold stressed,
and report them to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
While manatees have been known to be at risk for decades,
hence the creation of these Save the Manateque Club in
nineteen eighty one by singer songwriter Jimmy Buffett and former
(07:40):
U S Senator Bob Graham, many advocates feel we're not
doing enough to keep them safe. Kennon said. Manatees are
currently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. They
were downgraded from endangered status in twenty seventeen due to
their rebounding population numbers. Save the Manateque Club not agree
with the downlisting, as many of the threats that resulted
(08:03):
in their endangered status have either not improved or worsened,
for example, based on population counts and death statistics from FWC.
Eight percent of the Florida manatee population died in twenty seventeen.
In twenty eighteen, when there was a statewide case of
red tide, the minite lost thirteen percent of its population.
(08:26):
But there are lots of ways to support manatees. If
you find yourself in manit Territory, keep an eye out
and appreciate these animals from a distance. If you're in
a place to help with financial support, you can adopt
Amanite or otherwise make a donation. And you can always
support environmental science and conservation through your government representatives at
(08:47):
the local, state, and national levels. For lots more, check
out Savethemanatee dot org. They're not a sponsor, just a
good organization. Today's episode is based on the articles It's
Amnates Life, Swim, Eat, Rest Repeat, written by Michelle Constantinovski
(09:08):
and and Manatees ce Underwater written by Kristin Konger on
HowStuffWorks dot com. Rain Stuff is a production of iHeartRadio
in partnership with houstuffworks dot Com and is produced by
Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts my heart Radio visit the
iHeartRadio app Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.
Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey brain Stuff
Lauren Vogelbaum. Here. Growing up in South Florida, I saw
a lot of PSAs about how to watch out for
and avoid harming manatees in our local waterways. I could
still sing some of the jingles for you, but I won't.
(00:22):
You're welcome. I never ran across one in the wild,
but it's hard not to feel protective of these ponderous
aquatic mammals in all of their bumbling bulk. Manatees are
herbivores that migrate around networks of shallow, calm, warm, mostly
fresh waters, including rivers, estuaries, canals, coastal areas, and saltwater bays.
(00:47):
There are three species of these slow, sizable swimmers, the
Amazonian manatees, which hang out along the Amazon River, the
West African manatees, which swim the west coast and rivers
of Africa and the Floridian and care be and manatees,
which live along the America's East coast from Virginia to Brazil.
For the article, this episode is based on How Stuffworks.
(01:08):
Spoke by email Shyanne Canon and now the program project
coordinator at the Save the manatees club, She said. Fossil
remains of manatee ancestors show that they have inhabited Florida
for about forty five million years. Modern manatees have been
in Florida for over one million years, probably with intermittent
absences during the Ice Ages. The present Florida manatee is
(01:29):
a subspecies endemic or native to Florida. Genetic studies indicate
that it is not derived from the populations in Mexico
or Central America, but more likely colonized Florida from the
Greater Antilles thousands of years ago after the last Ice Age.
See lore has it that sailors used to mistake manatees
(01:50):
for mythical mermaids. That's why the taxonomical order they belong
to is named Synia, after the sirens of Greek mythology.
Manatees have rod heavily whiskered snouts. Their long, round bodies
come to a taper at a flat, paddle shaped tail.
Their two flippers each have three to four nails. Their
(02:10):
tough skin is gray and wrinkled, and they are as
cute as they are corpulent. At birth. They can be
as big as four and a half feet long. That's
one and a half meters and weigh some sixty five
pounds or thirty kilos. When they're fully grown, manates can
weigh around one two hundred pounds or five hundred and
fifty kilos and reach ten feet or three meters in length.
(02:34):
The largest of the species can grow to twice that
weight and an extra three feet or meter in length,
Cannon said. New research has indicated that manates have very
sensitive body hairs, which are able to detect subtle changes
in water movement around them. Scientists had previously wondered how
manates might navigate, as their eyesight isn't very good and
(02:57):
the manatees eyeballs, positioned far back on both sides of
its head, are slightly larger than marbles on such an
enormous body, The dark orbs measure under an inch in
diameter about two centimeters. They're about half the size of
human eyeballs, but manatees bodies are, as said above, much
larger than ours. They can't perceive colors outside of blues
(03:19):
and greens, and tend to be near sighted. The shallow
waters they live in are often murky, so it makes
sense that they didn't waste too much evolution on their eyes.
Those sensitive body hairs of theirs are called vibrissi. They're
rooted in blood filled follicles that trevor nerve impulses when
the hairs are touched or moved. The follicles connect to
(03:42):
around fifty nerves each, which signal the brain of the
increased pressure from any surrounding motion. Manates also hear far
better than humans. They do best at higher frequencies, communicating
with each other through calls and whistles. Scientists are investigating
how well manates can detect low frequency sounds and if
(04:03):
they use their vibrasi to do so. With adaptations like these,
manatees naturally compensate for their blackluster vision. But okay, what
are manatees like? Cannon said, Manates are incredibly calm and
curious animals. In fact, they can be so curious that
they find themselves in dangerous situations, such as approaching a
(04:25):
boat in the wild. Manatees are typically independent, but they're
not territorial and can be found in large groups in
warm water springs. Manates are not aggressive at all and
have no natural predators. They interact peacefully with alligators. Manates
spend most of their time either resting or traveling with
(04:46):
a lot of eating along the way. They forage sea
grass or freshwater vegetation wherever they go. An adult manatee
can eat a tenth of its own weight in twenty
four hours, which can be a problem if that plant
based diet becomes scarce. From December of twenty twenty through
April of twenty twenty two, which was to be fair
(05:07):
a difficult time for most of US, a joint state
and National Wildlife Working group documented an unprecedented number of
manatee deaths from starvation due to a loss of forage
plants along Florida's East coast. It seems that water pollution
had been killing off the beds of sea grass that
manatees Grayson. However, they've been able to turn this disaster
(05:29):
around in the years since by providing immediate help in
the form of supplemental feeding and animal rescue and rehabilitation
of plus long term support through habitat restoration and ongoing
surveys of manatees migration, and health. They were able to
close the case in twenty twenty five after having recorded
no manatee deaths from lack of food in two years.
(05:52):
While adult manatees are too large to have natural predators
and can live for up to sixty years or more.
Their lives are often cut short due to human related causes.
The number one Culprit Watercraft Cannon explained manatees spend majority
of their time in shallow water, especially in Florida. Boats
(06:13):
are common in these same shallow waters. Boats present two
threats to manatees. The boat propeller, which can cut a
manatee multiple times, causing devastating damage, and the boat hull,
which can cause severe blunt force trauma if the boat
impacts the manatee at a high speed. If you're ever
headed out on a boat in known manate territory, make
(06:35):
sure to stay in deep water when possible, and practice
common sense and take a few precautions. You can look
up tips, but basically obey posted speed zones, aware polarized
sunglasses to reduce glare from the water, and keep a
lookout for manatees with a designated spotter if possible, especially
when you're starting up your motor. Canon said the best
(06:58):
thing that boaters can do to help protect manates is
to boat carefully in areas where manates are common. Voters
should also obey all posted speed signs. Manate zones are
researched extensively for their importance to manatees and the likelihood
that manatees will be present. Manate Zones are not decided
willy nilly. Voters can also keep an eye out for
(07:19):
manatees that may need help, such as lone calves, amanatees
with fresh wounds, or manatees that may be cold stressed,
and report them to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
While manatees have been known to be at risk for decades,
hence the creation of these Save the Manateque Club in
nineteen eighty one by singer songwriter Jimmy Buffett and former
(07:40):
U S Senator Bob Graham, many advocates feel we're not
doing enough to keep them safe. Kennon said. Manatees are
currently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. They
were downgraded from endangered status in twenty seventeen due to
their rebounding population numbers. Save the Manateque Club not agree
with the downlisting, as many of the threats that resulted
(08:03):
in their endangered status have either not improved or worsened,
for example, based on population counts and death statistics from FWC.
Eight percent of the Florida manatee population died in twenty seventeen.
In twenty eighteen, when there was a statewide case of
red tide, the minite lost thirteen percent of its population.
(08:26):
But there are lots of ways to support manatees. If
you find yourself in manit Territory, keep an eye out
and appreciate these animals from a distance. If you're in
a place to help with financial support, you can adopt
Amanite or otherwise make a donation. And you can always
support environmental science and conservation through your government representatives at
(08:47):
the local, state, and national levels. For lots more, check
out Savethemanatee dot org. They're not a sponsor, just a
good organization. Today's episode is based on the articles It's
Amnates Life, Swim, Eat, Rest Repeat, written by Michelle Constantinovski
(09:08):
and and Manatees ce Underwater written by Kristin Konger on
HowStuffWorks dot com. Rain Stuff is a production of iHeartRadio
in partnership with houstuffworks dot Com and is produced by
Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts my heart Radio visit the
iHeartRadio app Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.
BrainStuff News
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