“Easy to Love”
Published by Ocean Conservancy
I recently joined Ocean Conservancy, and I found myself learning more about many sea animals. While doing so, I found one particular sea animal “easy to love”.
I started really appreciating manatees! I know–perhaps you were expecting a cute turtle or dolphin, but I started falling for manatees and found them to be “easy to love” for various reasons.
First, they are very gentle. If you ever encounter one, they’re probably eating, resting or traveling to a warm water environment–the life. Imagine living that lifestyle! I thought about it too, and after making some calculations, I realized it was too early to retire.
Another reason why I find them so lovable is because they are frequent nappers! Because they are mammals and need to breathe air, manatees can only stay under water for a short period of time. When they are under water, that’s when they are sometimes found napping. They typically nap for a short period of time, then swim up to the surface for air. This is common for them–especially after a long, energetic day.
Manatees do not have any enemies and tend to mind their own business. Though they don’t have many predators, they sometimes get hurt by watercrafts. They are slow-moving animals, so dodging boats is tough for them; although they can swim 20 miles per hour, when needed. Reminds me of gym class when I wanted extra credit.
Lastly, they’re adorable! How can you not be charmed by these sweet gentle giants? What’s even more endearing is that they’re closely related to elephants, which is one of my favorite animals. I can kind of see the resemblance between the greyish skin tone and small eyes.
Maybe one day I’ll have the chance to swim with these “easy to love” sea animals. Until then, I’ll keep figuring out how I can have their lifestyle.
Sources:
http://www.defenders.org/florida-manatee/basic-facts
http://www.savethemanatee.org/manfcts.htm
Read the full article at: http://blog.oceanconservancy.org/2016/11/01/easy-to-love/
