After exploring the Calusa Nature Center I found I was just a few miles from Manatee Park in North Fort Myers. Opened in 1996, this 17 acre park is maintained by volunteers and hosts over 100,000 visitors each year.
Manatees, whose closest relation is the elephant, flock to the Caloosahatchee River in this area because of the water temps. Until the Gulf of Mexico warms to 68° manatees stay in 2-5 feet of water where the sunlight allows for vegetation growth.
Manatees reproduce every 3-5 years and travel as far as Texas and Cape Cod. They have fingers and fingernails, solid bones, 14 foot lungs, 130 feet of intestine, and arching molars. The vegetation eaten by manatees contains sand which wears out their front teeth, and as one falls out, a replacement appears. Elephants get 5 sets of teeth during their lifetimes; manatees have replacement teeth forever during their 20-40 year lifespan. Most of a person's view is obscured by the glare of the water. The whiskered lips may be the only visible part of these 1-2 thousand pound creatures. The flippers are used to dig up the roots of submerged vegetation. Manatees eat over a hundred pounds of vegetation daily. Newborn calves can weigh 60 pounds and stay with their mothers for up to two years.
The manatee was listed as endangered since 1967 with just over 3,000 remaining, but are now listed as threatened. However, loss of their food source, changes in water quality, and an increase in the number of boats and human activity have affected their population.
