| Creatures
of the Seas |
Lets
take a look at a few of the famous creatures of
the seas.
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The Florida manatee is a large mammal
whose closest relative is the elephant. |
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| The
Manatee
The waters throughout the Caribbean, Central America,
Colombia, Venezuela and the northern coast of Brazil,
as well as peninsular Florida, are home to West Indian
manatees. Two subspecies of West Indian manatees exist
today. One is found only in Florida and the other is
located throughout the northern region of the Caribbean,
and the coastal waters of North and South America. The
West Indian Manateeor Sea Cow is a large gray or brown
aquatic mammal. Adults average about 10 feet long and
weigh 1,000 pounds. They have no hindlimbs, and their
forelimbs are modified as flippers. Manatee tails are
flattened horizontally and rounded. Their body is covered
with sparse hairs and their muzzles with stiff whiskers.They
make sounds such as squeaks and squeals when frightened,
playing, or communicating, particularly between cow
and calf. Manatees are found in coastal waterways, estuaries,
saltwater bays, rivers and canals, particularly where
seagrass beds are located. The manatee population was
probably more abundant in the 18th or 19th century than
today. Initial population decreases probably resulted
from overharvesting for meat, oil, and leather. Today,
hunting is prohibited. |
Leather
Back Turtle
The
leatherback is the largest living turtle. The leatherback's
'shell' is slightly flexible and has a rubbery texture
hence its name. This rare sea turtle lives in warm
sea waters and is known to breed off the West Indies,
Florida, the northeastern coasts of South America,
Senegal, Natal, Madagascar, Ceylon, and Malaya.
Leatherbacks
have historically been taken only rarely for their
meat. The greatest threat continues to be to their
eggs.At sea, they become entangled fairly often in
longlines, buoy anchor lines and other ropes and cables.
This can result in injury (rope or cable cuts on shoulders
and flippers) or drowning. Many leatherback turtles
die from ingesting plastic debris mistaken for jellyfish
which is their main food source. |
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Orcas
(Orcinus orca) or " Killer Whale" are
marine mammals: they are warm blooded, air breathing,
and bear their young alive. They are found in all the
oceans throughout the world. The most persistent sightings
have been near the continental shelves off Japan, the
North American Pacific Northwest, Iceland, Norway, Scotland
and Antarctica. The killer whale belongs to the family
of dolphins and is the biggest dolphin. It is sometimes
called the "wolf of the sea" because its behavior
is similar to that of wolves.Orcas are efficient hunters
that eat a very diverse diet of fish,sharks and squids.
Orcas can dive to a depth of 100 feet (30 m) in order
to hunt!!They can swim up to 30 mph (48 km) in bursts
in order to catch prey. Male orcas have a life expectancy
of 50-60 years. Females have a life expectancy of 90
years.
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