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.

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.