well, unfortunately, 48 manatees died in Florida in January, 2006.

this is the highest number ever to die in a month, up from 36 in

January of last year.  the average number of manatee deaths

in January has been 10 over the past five years.

    the deaths are a bit puzzling, since this winter has been unusually

warm.  Manatees come into Florida's springs and lakes seeking

warmer water and fleeing the colder ocean temperatures.

   last year, 396 manatees died in Florida, out of an estimated

3,000 individuals.  the record deaths for manatees came in

1996, when 415 individuals died.

   (currently, there are approximately 3,300 manatees in Florida,

the only state where wild manatees are found.)

    Source

Manatee in Crystal River, Florida.  You can see the fog in this

crips January morning.  It's about 7:30 a.m.

     snorkeling with the manatees in Crystal River (scuba bubbles scare

them) is one of my yearly rituals.  i love hanging out with them.  i have

been literally surrounded by manatees in the water.  one time, a group

of 5 played with me for over 20 minutes. 

     the trick is not to chase them.  wait for them, and they will come.

 they are curious creatures, and like interaction.  also, manatees are

protected species, and you can't molest them, meaning you can't chase

them or do anything that will alter their behavior, as you can easily

separate a calf from its mother or stress them in other ways.

   i have seen quite a few mothers with calves, but they tend to

mostly avoid you.  it seems it's the younger males who want

to come out and play.

  how to tell a girl manatee from a boy manatee: at the base of their

tail, boy manatees have one opening; girl manatees have two.

The manatee under water:  a face only a mother could love?

     there are many operators who go out from Crystal River to do

manatee snorkel trips.  my favorite is Bird's Underwater.  they have

small, nice boats, with good crews, and they go out early (i believe

they have 6:00 and 7:30 trips now).  most of the cattle boats show up

after 9:00, so you'll have a good jump on the crowds.

   well... here's hoping that the manatee are still around 20 years from

now.  there's continuing encrochement into their winter habitat, and the

state of Florida wants to downgrade the manatee from the

"endangered"  to the "threatened" list (and thus less protection).

i sincerely hope the manatee will survive.