For those of you who do not live in the Southeast, you may not be aware that today is Manatee Appreciation Day. You may not even know exactly what a Manatee is, but we have got you covered. Manatee’s, also known as sea cows, are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals that call warm coastal waters home.
The manatees that we have become familiar with here in Florida are the West Indian Manatees which migrates into Florida rivers during the cooler months of the year. In 1893, manatees first received protection under Florida law, and in 1907 this law was revised to impose a fine of $500 and/or six months of jail time for molesting or killing a manatee. The manatee became one of 78 original species listed as being threatened with extinction in 1966 with more than 1300 species on this list. In 1967 federal efforts to protect the manatee began when the United States Fish and Wildlife Service listed the manatee as endangered. Since then a number of efforts to preserve these stunning mammals have been implemented through the years.
You can visit Manatee's right here in West Palm Beach at the FPL plant visitors center.
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