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Have you ever seen 
those huge lumbering gentle giants known as the Florida manatee. You probably have heard
of them referred to as sea cows. They certainly do not look like a cow, but more like a large
overgrown barrel with a short, flat tail and two short, stubby flippers. The flippers are
adorned with three or four toenails. They are vegetarians by nature.
Who named the West Indian Manatee a "Sea Cow"? I have not found any
information to verify a date or circumstance pertaining to the name sea cow. The only reasonable
conclusion I have is, cows relate to the female of species of animals that bear the young, produce
milk and bond to their young until they are weaned. Sounds reasonable doesn't it, except where
does the male manatee fit in? They, like many other male animals, are referred to as "Bulls".
My suggestion is call female manatees "cows" and male manatees "bulls" which makes you stop and
think, how do you figure it out when they are in the water? Here's another way to tell,
if a large manatee has a smaller one close by, chances are, it is a mother manatee cow
with its baby staying within the protective perimeter of the mother.Basically, manatees are solitary animals, staying together in a group when mating or heading for warm water during the cold months. Its very similar to cattle heading for a warm barn. Believe it or not, they do communicate by kissing, bumping , touching, tasting and smelling. They have been observed playing together for hours at a time. Their facial expressions, simple and yet pathetic, help portray a gentle and loveable mammal that only their mothers and humans could love. 
Females rub various parts of their body against rocks, posts or what ever is handy for
the purpose of leaving their scent to entice the males. Many males will follow the
scent and the female will allow more than one bull to mate with her.The manatees gestation period is 13 months and usually only one calf is born. The calf will nurse from a nipple located at the junction of each of the mother's flippers and her body. The baby nuzzles close to the female and because of the nipple location is seen by the mother at all times. The baby receives rich milk and attention from the mother until weaned. That cute little bundle of skin and blubber, stays with her for approximately two years.  Adopt the
motto:Today, boat propellers and red tide are the main enemies of the manatee. Extinction is forever. It seems that during the evolution of the manatee, a giant sea cow named Stellers sea cow, a 33 foot giant, was hunted to extinction. In the year of 1700 this magnificent mammal was hunted until every single and last one was killed! |
