MANATEE PREDATORS SKIN

Martha Foley: Let’s talk a little bit more about manatees. Martha Foley and Curt stager talk about convergent evolution. Manatees may look like whales or walruses, but that is only because they adapted to the marine environment in a similar way. Manatees are more closely related to the elephant than they are to other marine creatures.Manatees never leave the water but typically come up for air every 5 minutes.The cow-like creatures are thought to have inspired mermaid legends.A typical diet of a two-meter shark consists of fish that are less than one foot in length, making it difficult for them to deal with an animal as big as a manatee.

Although sharks can eat manatees, they do not often hunt actively for large bony animals such as manatees. They have also not developed an elaborate escape response or aggression mechanism, so they tend to handle most situations with an incredible degree of gentleness and respond warmly to people. Manatees have a kind and fearless demeanor because of the lack of natural predators. If they sense that you are a danger to them, they will avoid you and move away. When you float in the water and encounter them, manatees will monitor your movements keenly and tolerate you. Can a manatee bite you?Ī manatee won’t bite you! Manatees are naturally gentle and docile creatures, and they love human company, too. In fact, unlike other sea mammals such as whales and dolphins, manatees don’t have blubber-the extra layer of fat that keeps animals warm. And they weigh up to 1,300 pounds and grow almost as long as walruses. They have very thick and wrinkled skins, just like elephants. So while newborn baby manatees can be swallowed whole by alligators, their thick hides mean they are a digestive nightmare, making them undesirable for alligators to bother them. Manatees also flex their thick hides when alarmed, making themselves more impervious to puncture.

Blubber covers the entire body of animals such as seals, whales, and walruses-except for their fins, flippers, and flukes.

MANATEE PREDATORS SKIN

What animals have blubber?īlubber is a thick layer of fat, also called adipose tissue, directly under the skin of all marine mammals. Manatees have finely-wrinkled, leathery looking thick skin that continuously flakes off. Do manatees have a lot of fat? Do manatees have thick skin?

Manatee predators