Florida Manatee Expedition

Manatee Poop!

Location: Gainesville, Florida

Day 12
by Wayne Brown

Today we drove from Crystal River, all the way up to Gainesville, Florida. We were going to visit the center of manatee research in Florida, the Sirenia Project laboratories! We had already met some of the scientists who work here. On Day 3, we worked with Mrs. Susan Butler and Mr. Dean Easton. We had joined them studying manatees in King Spring at the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. On Day 4, we met Mr. Bob Bonde, who was working on the manatee rescue.

We met Bob in his Project office. He showed us around the labs, told us about the research they were doing, and introduced us to the other scientists.

Remember, on Day 3, the photos that Susan and Dean were taking of the manatees' tails? Well, these photos are now in special photo ID files. We visited the manatee photo ID lab to see what was going on. We found out that manatee photo ID is a three step process.
Step 1 - Researcher takes a photo of a manatee and develops the film.
Step 2 - Researcher compares that photo to other manatee photos in the photo ID file. If no match, then that is a manatee that has never been identified before.
Step 3 - Researcher enters photo and information into the computer, then files the photo in a photo ID notebook.

Bob introduced us to one of the scientists who is doing a very interesting study. Mrs. Iske Larkin studies manatee poop! Iske is studying manatee reproductive hormones. (Reproductive hormones are chemicals animals' bodies make to help in having babies.) Iske's studies will help answer scientists' questions about manatee reproduction. Iske collects manatee poop and looks at it under a microscope. By looking at manatee poop under a microscope Iske can see what the manatee ate. By analyzing the manatee poop with chemicals Iske can find any reproductive hormones. Iske discovered that she had a problem. How do you know which poop came from which manatee? She solved her problem very simply. Iske got some corn that was dyed bright colors. She ground up the corn and put a different color in each manatee's food. Now, when she looked at the poop under her microscope she knew which manatee it was from by seeing what color corn was in the poop!

Today we learned lots of new information about manatees. The information that these scientists are learning about manatees will help us understand and protect manatees, not just in Florida, but around the world!

PHOTO ID: STEP 1 - Susan takes a manatee photo.

PHOTO ID: STEP 2 - Researcher compares photo to other manatee photos in the photo ID file to look for a photo that matches.

PHOTO ID: STEP 3 - Researcher enters photo and data into the computer, then files photo in the photo ID file.

Now You Try It!

Look at these manatee tails. Compare these tails photos to the manatee photos we took on Day 3. Can you find any tails here that match the manatee tails we saw in King Spring at Banana Island?
(If you want to see this picture bigger, just click on it!)

Iske checks out our expedition web site on her computer.

I am scratching the belly of this manatee. See the manatee poop coming out of the manatee? (Maybe when you grow up you can study manatee poop, just like Iske!)

TODAY'S DATA
Time: 3:00 PM
Distance from Crystal River:
70 miles (Northwest)
Morning Air Temp: 50ºF
Afternoon Air Temp: 76ºF
Weather: Sunny with broken clouds
Miles traveled by kayak so far:
6.6 miles
Total manatees seen so far: 56
Total mermaids seen so far: 6

PHOTOS TAKEN SO FAR
Digital Photos
(Above water): 209
Digital Photos
(Underwater): 166
Film Photos
(Above water): 1066
Film Photos
(Underwater): 342
Rolls of film shot
(36 exposures): 37 rolls

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