One of the most unusual and gentle creatures around. I adore manatee. Every time I go to Florida I try to see them in the wild and have yet to have any luck. mostly because they hang out in murky water. But at the tampa zoo they had one of the best exhibits I have ever seen. the water was much clearer then most places so viewing was easier. the above picture is the top of the tank. this manatee just rolled around and around playing in the water it was fun to watch.
these are the best pictures in the world but I was impressed with my circular polarized lens and how it helped take them through the thick aquarium glass. 
sadly many manatee lose their lives to boating accidents luckily the above animal did not but you can see the scars. They move slow and close to the surface because they breath air which puts them in harms way many times. At the Tampa zoo they take in injured manatee and rehabilitate them to go back to the wild.
SO beautiful! Our Sea World has a great exhibit with them too. I didn't know about the polarizer - makes sense now that you mention it though. I'll have to give it a try next time.
ReplyDeleteWe went to the beach just before we moved to Germany and were lucky enough to have a wild encounter. I grew up at the beach and the Weeki Wachee river where they love to hang out, but only this one time did it actually happen. I was out in the water with my 2 girls and up came 2 LARGE manatees. They hung out with us for a while. It was a little scary at first because they were so BIG, but exciting at the same time!!
ReplyDeleteIt is so sad to see the scars but I am happy to hear they have a rehab place for manatees. My girlfriend did her scuba diving certification class in Florida and a manatee came up to her on the second day. She was thrilled.
ReplyDelete