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Bob and I goof off some. |
I have been to the
Manatee visitor center several times. It's one of my "Go to" places when we have friends and family visit us here in Florida.
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Thanks to http://westernerworld.com/ |
Manatee's
are sometimes called "Sea Cows" but are actually related more to
elephants than cows. They are slow moving creatures that have no
natural predators and are more likely to be hurt by speeding boats and
man than anything in the water. Frankly when under the water it's very
easy to see them as big rocks, since they normally just lie there on the
bottom eating.
According to legend they were the
basis of mermaids. To quote a friend of mine, "How lonely would you
need to be or how much rum would you need to drink to mistake a Manatee
for a women?"
They are also endangered, having to stay
within a narrow band of water temperatures to thrive and survive, in
fact they will die if the water temperature falls below 60 F (15 C).
This is one of the reasons why they are generally found only in Florida
and often in hot springs or areas of warm water. This is what makes
the Manatee Visitor center so interesting, the Big Bend power plant is
required to pump the warm water it generates back into the bay. So it's
not uncommon to find up to a hundred or so of these "sea cows" in the
water near the plant.
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Sue and Scooter Bob |
It's also not uncommon to hear people complain about the power plant because they don't realize the symbiotic relationship.
The
lovely Sue decided to tag along today since it was a lovely day for
riding. Sadly the water was murky and we did not see much in the way of
sea cows.
Nor did we spend time on the nature
trails that surround the center. You have seen one Mangrove you have
seen them all. We did spend a little bit of time in the Education
center and gift shop, where the story of Scooter Bob was again told to
the staff, one of whom got goose bumps hearing the story.
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Bob spends a little bit of time in the education center |
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Checking out how the manatee's are identified. Sadly each scar is man-made |
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Not life size but a close approximation |
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He kept singing "Them bones" on the way home. |
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Small, medium and "Damn!" |
The power plant and the manatees. What an interesting symbiosis between nature and technology.
ReplyDeleteSo sweet, that you took Scooterbob along. Now tell me, how do I get the song out of my head now? Big ole pile of them bones...
Interesting arrangement, hopefully they've set up warning buoys for boats so they don't run over the gathered manatees.
ReplyDeleteCharlie - Their are not boats allowed in this particular inlet. But "no wake" zones are a battle here between boaters and people who want to save Florida's unique animals and habitat's.
DeleteLovely places to visit. Are the mermaids still at Wichi Wachhi springs?
DeleteThey are indeed. It's my hope to get Bob kissed by one. :)
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