Introducing the Manatee

by Warren Zeiller

Overview

As diver, announcer, trainer and eventual manager of the Miami Seaquarium, Warren Zeiller knows the unique creatures that inhabit the waters off Florida. Most unusual of all is the sea cow, or manatee. A warm blooded, plant eating, Cadillac-sized gentle giant, the manatee is in danger of extinction from the hazards of man--foremost among them over-population, pollution and power boats. In this ode to the warm whiskered creatures, Zeiller pleads the case for coexistence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813011523
Publisher:	University Press of Florida
Publication date:	10/01/1992
Pages:	168
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

Table of Contents

	Preface	vii
Part I.	Sirens Sing Ever More Softly
	Baby Manatees at Seaquarium	1
	Seaquarium's Mermaid Rescue Squad	21
	Romeo, Juliet, and the Seaquarium Cast	35
	Out of the Wilderness	58
Part II.	Sirens Through the Ages
	Aardvarks, Elephants, Hyraxes, Dugongs, and Manatees	71
	Steller's Sea Cows and Dugongs	79
	Amazonian and West African Manatees	98
	West Indian Manatees	114
	Epilogue	126
	Appendixes
A.	Geologic Distribution of Principal Genera of Sirenia	129
B.	Classification and Ranges of Recent Sirenians	131
C.	Legislation and Protection	132
D.	Florida Refuges	135
	Bibliography	137
	Index	147

Editorial Reviews

Manatees, or sea cows, are freshwater mammals native to shores bordering the Atlantic Ocean, such as Florida, the West Indies, the east coast of South America, and west coast of Africa. Zeiller, who is experienced in raising manatees at the Miami Seaquarium, recounts their capture from canals and rivers, their transport to the Seaquarium, and their diet, medical care, breeding, and birthing. Manatees are an endangered species whose only predator is humanity, and the author emphasizes their importance as aquatic vegetation control agents in areas where waterways become clogged with weeds. Firsthand observations of the manatee life cycle are supplemented by information on their physiology, ecology, and historical encounters with humans. Written for the general reader and YAs, this work is suitable for comprehensive natural history collections.-- Judith B. Barnett, Pell Marine Science Lib., Univ. of Rhode Island, Kingston

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