Judy's Photoblog
Just beneath the surface...
Posted by Judy (Brooksville, Florida, United States) on 27 March 2009 in Animal & Insect and Portfolio.
Waiting for feeding time in their protected area of the Homosassa Springs State park, these two Manatees are clearly seen in the shallow water. There are presently six West Indian Manatees in the park that are named, fed and cared for, to educate park visitors about these 'sea cows'. They can grow to 13 feet and weigh over 3,000 pounds, are gentle and slow moving. Most of their time is spent eating, resting, and in travel. Often shy and reclusive, they have no system of defense and are completely harmless.
Manatees can hear very well despite the absence of external ear lobes. They emit sounds that are within human auditory range, sounds such a squeaks and squeals when frightened, playing or communicating, particularly between a cow and its calf. Nostrils are on the upper surface of the snout which close tightly like valves when submerged. Surfaces to breathe every few minutes depending upon amount of activity. They have only molars to chew their food and have no known predators other than mankind.
Thank you so much for visiting my blog; your comments are greatly appreciated. I apologize for not getting to all of your posts. I will visit as time permits.
---~--- Philippians 4:13 'We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.' ... <*}}}><
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Scott Schilling from San Martin, United States
That is an amazing animal! I am always fascinated by these - thanks for the information and great photo Judy!
27 Mar 2009 5:21am
@Scott Schilling: Thanks a lot, Scott.
tyan from Singapore
they look so comfortable in the water,and this is such a clear view of these gentle animals:) Caleb will love these animal photos:)
thanks for your kind words at my blog..my source of sadness is not really about child-rearing,though it may have affected my feelins of competency taking care of them..its something else and it really hurt a great deal but praying to depend on God:)
27 Mar 2009 5:56am
@tyan: Caleb will want to see tomorrow's closeup of its mouth while eating ... a sight I'd never seen!
I am 'fed up to the teeth' over the fact that mothers aren't allowed to be mothers, the most important job in the WORLD, and with only 'on-the-job training' available. There is no more precious commodity than a child and their care should be paramount! Okay, I'll stop ranting. Warm hugs, my friend, and prayers!
Mandy Provan from Johannesburg, South Africa
A lovely shot Judy, I've never seen one up close before! Are they related to the Seal family at all?
27 Mar 2009 6:06am
@Mandy Provan: Good question, Mandy ... I found this: "Manatee's have two forward flippers and a flat tail, like the seal. Unlike the seal it spends almost all of it's time in the water. Also unlike the seal it feeds on aquatic vegetation. Manatee's grow up to 15 feet long and weigh 3500 pounds. Could a relative of the manatee be a lake monster? Maybe. Many believe that the manatee and it's cousin, the sea cow, may have inspired the tales of mermaids, though it would take a particularly lonesome sailor to mistake the face of one of these creatures for a beautiful woman. " ... :D
LeenaM from Joensuu, Finland
Eating, resting and in travel - sounds like my life, so very good!! ;)
You have had really interesting day in that park, Kayla will remember it for ever.
Nice day to you,Judy, also today!
27 Mar 2009 6:54am
@LeenaM: Yes, we had a wonderful day with Kayla ... and photos to aid her memories! xx
Betty from New Jersey, United States
This is a wonderful shot, Judy! I have never seen them in photos in such detail! And thank you for the explanation!
27 Mar 2009 10:17am
@Betty: Thank you very much, Betty. There was little breeze the day we were there, and few ripples, making photos a bit easier to take.
Chris from South Jersey, United States
cool shot of some amazing creatures....hard to believe that they were mistaken for mermaids though....
27 Mar 2009 11:16am
@Chris: Thanks, Chris ... and I agree, the faces are distinctly different ... you must see tomorrow's closeup. :D
Barbara from Florida, United States
Excellent capture and informative caption of these Manatees. They are such amazing creatures. I have seen them only a few times in Tampa Bay but not clear like this. These look very healthy and thankfully without the injuries we often see from boat props. I really enjoy this image.
27 Mar 2009 1:05pm
@Barbara: We've seen injured ones before at Homosassa, but because they cannot exit into the Gulf or anywhere near boats, the ones they have will not be harmed or scarred as they can be in the 'wild'. Thanks, Barb.
Lorraine from Gatineau, Canada
I can't believe how clear this is, wonderful photo sweetie :)
27 Mar 2009 3:11pm
@Lorraine: Thanks, Lorraine.
EYES WIDE SHUT from The library of my soul, United Kingdom
They are incredible animals, Judy. I saw a BBC documentary that featured them, and your wonderful info on them brings back memories of that programme. A lovely image of these bizarre and beautiful creatures
27 Mar 2009 4:13pm
@EYES WIDE SHUT: Thank you, Paul, and I'm glad youve seen a program on them; they are so gentle.
You will want to see tomorrow's closeup.
Susan from Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States
Nice shot of these gentle giants..... We have a huge number of them, that hang out by the where the power company dumps warm water....... they are awesome to watch!!
27 Mar 2009 4:46pm
@Susan: Thanks, Susan ... we have them at our power plants too, but not normally this close to shore.
Viewfinder from Bradenton, FL, United States
This is one of the best shots of submerged manatees I've ever seen. Nice work, Judy. I appreciate the write up you added. We may have to take a trip over that way sometime. I'd like to see them in action... we do have some around Manatee County too, but they are wild and random in appearances.
27 Mar 2009 5:07pm
@Viewfinder: Thank you very much, Glenn; the lack of wind and ripples, plus a front-row seat on the small section of bleachers gave me a pretty good vantage point.
I just replied to Susan in Fort Lauderdale, saying that we have them near the power plants as she does, but random in appearances and not this close to shore.
Bookfool from Mississippi, United States
They look like wet potatoes. LOL I've read about manatees. It sounds like humans are wiping them off the map, which is truly sad, especially given how benign they are.
27 Mar 2009 8:26pm
@Bookfool: Actually with public education, the numbers are rising, which is GOOD NEWS!
While this is a detailed report, look at the stats in the chart at the bottom.
JJ from Jersey City, United States
Beautiful capture of these, I have always been intrigued by these wonderful animals since my daughter did a report on them many years ago and have been so intrigued by them since
28 Mar 2009 12:52am
@JJ: Seeing them interact with the volunteers is testimony to their good care in captivity, though they really should be out in the Gulf. ;(
observing from North West, United Kingdom
Highly interesting creatures and well captured Judy, they are quite elusive in the wild..?
28 Mar 2009 1:35am
@observing: They just mind their own business, and motorboat propellers are their biggest enemy. They like the shallow, warm water.
Fliss from Melbourne Beach, United States
I have never been able to catch a shot of a Manatee where you can see it's whole body.. many a time down at the Melbourne Beach pier you see them swimming by or if you are lucky enough you can see them mating in the shallow waters... gorgeous aren't they...
28 Mar 2009 1:53am
@Fliss: I was lucky; the light was right and not reflecting off the water too badly ... and few ripples.
They are incredible animals!
Sony DSLR-A100
1/80 second
F/5.0
ISO 100
45 mm