Florida’s state marine mammal, the Florida manatee, is related to the elephant. These grayish brown gentle animals use their front flippers to steer and their flat tails to help them move forward through the water. Manatees playing an extremely important part with regard to plant growth in shallow rivers, estuaries, bays and coastal waters where they live. Getting up close enough to see them is a special treat for visitors to the Sunshine state, as well as residents.

Manatees are herbivores and mostly feed on sea grasses and freshwater plants. They can be found in warmer waters and are rarely found in waters under 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Manatees live in Florida’s coastal waters during the winter season, though some migrate as far north as the Carolinas or as far west as Louisiana during the summer months. During the last few years, some manatees have been spotted as far north as Massachusetts.

Manatees are well known for their slow-cruising, gentle nature and have also been known to body surf when they are feeling a bit playful. They communicate through the use of squealing sounds under water, to convey feelings of excitement or fear. Baby manatees are born weighing approximately 60 to 70 pounds and measuring 3 to 4 feet in length and they nurse underwater.

When in the Naples, Florida area, taking a manatee sightseeing eco tour is a great way to enjoy a close view of Florida wildlife. Manatee Eco-Tours out of Naples is the only sightseeing tour company in the world that offers and stands by it’s NO SEE-NO PAY guarantee. We offer an informative 90-minute tour that will allow you to see manatees in their natural habitat. It is very likely to also see other types of wildlife, such as alligators, egrets, dolphins, sea turtles and other animals that are indigenous to the area during the tours. The tours take you and your group to the Faka Union Canal, which is part of the Port of the islands and the 10,000 islands.

Here is some interesting information regarding these gentle and fascinating creatures of the sea:

• Manatees are typically found in shallow coastal areas and rivers where they feed on sea grass, mangrove leaves, and algae. These herbivores munch on food for almost half the day, eating ten percent of their body weight in plant mass every day. With weights of up to 1,200 pounds, that is a whole lot of greenery!
• West Indian and West African manatees spend their lives on the cusp between salty and fresh water. They are able to maintain the correct balance in their bodies through an internal regulation system that works with the kidney to make sure salt concentrations never get too high. It is believed that West Indian manatees require some access to freshwater (PDF) in order to stay hydrated, but they are able to easily move between the two ecosystems.
•  Warm water is a must for the West Indian and West African manatee species. With low metabolic rates and minimal fat protection from cold water, they stick to water that is 60 degrees or warmer. They may look fat and insulated, but the large body of the manatee is mostly made up of their stomach and intestines! In colder months, they find their way to warm river tributaries or warm water outputs from power plants. In 2010 at least 246 manatees died in Florida due to cold stress from the colder-than-normal winter.
• Manatees go to the surface of the water every three to five minutes to breathe although they can remain underwater longer, holding their breath for up to 20 minutes. When they do take a breath, 90 percent of the air in their lungs is replaced (whereas humans tend to replace about 10 percent).
• The Amazonian manatee lives entirely in freshwater rivers throughout South America in the Amazon Basin. It is hard to estimate their numbers due to their secretive nature and the murky water where they often live. A fourth dwarf manatee species was described in the mid-2000s, but this claim was called into question and it is believed to actually be a juvenile Amazonian manatee. The main threat to this species is illegal harpoon hunting for subsistence.
• Dugongs in the same order as manatees, spend all of their time in coastal ocean waters of the Indian Ocean and western Pacific and they don’t ever venture into freshwater. Although they look similar to manatees, dugongs have a more whale-like fluke compared to the round, paddle-like tail that you see on manatees.
• The closest living relatives of sirenians are elephants. Manatees evolved from the same land animals as elephants over 50 million years ago and the fossil record shows a much more diverse group of sirenians than we have today, with dugongs and manatees living together throughout their range.

Ecotourism encourages tourism in stunning natural areas, can create jobs and income without destroying or harming natural or cultural assets that the visitors have arrived to explore and, like no other industry, ecotourism gives natural unspoiled areas an economic value. These efforts all go hand in hand with actively creating benefits for nature conservation and focusing on reducing environmental impacts.

Ecotourism experiences also tend to be cutting edge with regard to creativity within the tourism industry, and can be readily marketed to an ever increasing number of people who wish to ensure that their vacations create positive benefits, both for the environment and local communities, while providing them with education and fun.

Naples on the west coast of Florida ranks high amongst the best places to visit in the sunshine state and manatee eco tours are high on the list things that should not be missed as far as Florida tourist attractions. Manatee tours offered by Manatee Eco-Tours include a boat tour with a close-up view of Florida wildlife. Whether you are a wildlife photography enthusiast or simply a tourist looking for a wonderful adventure tour, Manatee Eco-Tours will exceed your expectations.

Known for its pristine white sand beaches, Naples is paradise for natural wildlife and home to some of the most diverse and unique ecosystems in the nation. Aside from alligators, a wide variety of birds and large fish, and other kinds of aquatic life that are common to Naples, manatees are a Florida treasure.

Also known as sea cows, these gentle giants are typically found in shallow, slow-moving rivers, bays, estuaries and coastal water ecosystems along the southeastern United States. They can live in fresh, brackish, or salt water. Manatees prefer waters that are approximately three to seven feet in depth, however, along the coast, manatees tend to travel in waters that are about 10 – 16 feet in depth. The warm waters around Naples provide manatees with safe living and breeding areas, the warm water they prefer, and a steady and easy to access food supply.

Ocean preservation stretches beyond what it implies, as it is a way of supporting a number of other environmental goals at the same time. Wildlife conservation, fighting global climate change, and maintaining natural resources are all intertwined with ocean preservation and conservation. Many of the ways that people affect the natural world also affect the ocean specifically.

The oceans have mistakenly been perceived as a boundless area that could be pulled from for supplies indefinitely. This is a very incorrect perception, which is thankfully being transformed as people are beginning to recognize and act with regard to ocean preservation. Ocean conservation is a key in resisting global climate change, which is one of the most prevalent environmental concerns today. According to the Worldwatch Institute, ocean vegetation, coral and algae hold as much as 93 percent of carbon dioxide. Industry experts indicate that the ocean holds a large quantity of the excess greenhouse gases that humans produce, and that global climate change would be significantly worse if it did not. Industry experts also indicate that the ocean may not be able to keep up with the increase in carbon dioxide emissions throughout the world. All facts point to the fact that it is crucial to pay attention to ocean conservation and preservation and act on behalf of our oceans.

Saving plant and animal species, as well as marine food sources, is also important as marine ecosystems contain more than 50 percent of the world’s total species and all could be negatively impacted by insufficient ocean conservation efforts. These conservation efforts include the protection of manatees, sea turtles, salmon, whales and various seabirds.

The loss of ocean life translates into loss of animal protein, loss of jobs linked to the ocean, loss of ability to use marine wildlife for medical testing and research, and the loss of the ocean as an important symbol in many cultures.

Marine ecosystems are extremely valuable on many levels. This approach needs to be adopted on many levels and action must be taken to collectively support the preservation and conservation of our world’s seas.