Manatee Pictures

Christian-Soldier.net

Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens." God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. Genesis 1:20-23

Florida

Manatee

If you’re an animal lover and visit Florida without seeing the Manatee you are missing out! It is estimated there are only 2,000 Manatee remaining in the United States today and the best place to see them is Florida, central Florida to be exact. I like to go to King’s Bay in Crystal River. It’s not the only place to go, but for me it’s not too far away and I’ve only been out a few times without finding any.

Manatees are entirely vegetarians and eat around 100 pounds of vegetation per day. They can be found by looking for them to surface for air and their noses break the surface. They will come up every 2 – 3 minutes when they are eating and every 10 –1 5 when they are sleeping. I have the best luck finding them in 3 – 10 feet of water in areas that are sheltered from the main tidal currents.

Manatee for those of you who are not familiar with them are aquatic mammals, meaning they live in water but breathe air like whales, dolphins, and seals. Adults are 10’-15’ and weigh up to 3,000 pounds. They like the warm waters here and will venture out in the Gulf during the warm summer months but when the water temperature drops they come inland to the bays where the natural springs keep the temperatures up for them. They also like the warm water flows that come from the power plants.

Many people view them from a boat but the real fun is swimming with them. When you get into the water with them they like you to make slow easy movements. Don’t chase them down. Just be patient one will come to you that wants to play. They usually circle you at least once and then swim away and then a few seconds later reappear and want you to pet them. This is the experience of a lifetime!

Questions or Comments? Send Rick an e-mail at:

rick@christian-soldier.net