Manatee

Sirenia (0/2) In the Sea Cows, the West Indian genus, one of the freshwater Manatees (Trichecus manatus) lacks the organ in the adult, and has a reduced MOS (Mackay-Sim et al., 1985). With the marine Dugong, a similar diminution would be expected but is not proven. 

Mackay-Sim A., Duvall D. and Graves B.M. (1985). The West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) lacks a vomeronasal organ. Brain Behav Evol 27, 186-194. 

Marine mammals usually contain less than 44 mg Cu/kg DW in all tissues except livers. Copper in livers seldom exceeds 116 mg/kg DW except in polar bears (146 mg/kg DW), and manatees, Trichechus manatus, (1200 mg/kg DW) from a copper-contaminated site (Table 3.3). Maximum copper concentrations in terrestrial mammals from all collection sites are usually less than 29 mg/kg DW in all tissues except kidneys (108 mg/kg DW) and livers (1078 mg/kg DW Table 3.3). 

O Shea, T.J., J.F. Moore, and H.I. Kochman. 1984. Contaminant concentrations in manatees in Florida. Jour. Wildl. Manage. 48 741-748. 

Walsh, C.J., Luer, C. A., and Noyes, D.R., Effects of environmental stressors on lymphocyte proliferation in Florida manatees, Trichecus manatus latirostris, Vet. Immunol. Immuno-pathol., 103, 247, 2005. 

Cashman, M.E. et al., Isolation and characterization of acDNA encoding interleukin 2 from the Florida manatee, Trichechus manatus latirostris, Mar. Mamm. Sci., 12, 89, 1996. 

You slow your speed as two vessels swim toward you. But they aren t really vessels. Oh my God They are huge manatees. You know all about manatees, but have never seen one up close. 

On Earth, manatees are large water mammals, popularly called sea cows. Their dark bodies taper to flattened tails. Their forelimbs are flippers set close to the head no external hind limbs exist. Their heads are small, with straight snouts and cleft upper lips with bristly hairs. These space manatees are similar to their Earthly counterparts. 

As you gaze up at their bellies from below, the manatees resemble sentinels, guarding the path ahead of you. Then one manatee swims low so that you can see its eye looking down on you. Tanya grabs your hand tightly. 

The manatee near Tanya produces xylophone-like notes as it gently touches her long hair. These are the sounds audible to humans. You guess that the manatee is also emitting sounds inaudible to the human ear. 

They re singing Tanya says as her eyes dart back and forth from manatee to manatee. 

You wave to the manatees and turn to Tanya. What do they want ... 

The manatees stare at you for several seconds, as if assessing you. Again, you can t help thinking the space manatees look ancient, full of wisdom, possessing mighty minds that you can never fully penetrate. The manatees also look kind. Their hyperspherical eyes are omniscient. 

The manatees speak again. Follow us so that we may lead you to higher dimensions in safety. ... 

As the manatees slowly turn, a great tail goes swishing over your body. 

The manatees leave a stream of lights in their wake that you find easy to follow. Occasionally you see vortices spiraling away from you, like miniature tornadoes. You stay away from them, just in case they are sufficiently strong to affect your motion. 

You point at other manatees emerging from great polyhedral domes that float in space. Look at them ... 

Ahead is a 5-D city. The manatees never stop as they pass it by, but you turn your head so you can see the nearest building replete with manatee statues of translucent glass. 

The building has a huge entry and is of colossal dimensions. Here and there other manatees are emerging from big open portals that yawn shadowy and mysterious. 

There. In the distance, you see the manatees separate by about thirty degrees as they disappear below some kind of 4-D horizon. A triplet of red orbs shoots across the sky and then skims along volcanic cliflfs. 

Good-bye, the manatees say in their oboe-like voices, and they take... 

Although the space is filled with turbulent clouds left by the sudden disappearance of the manatees, there are clear breaks through which you can see new regions of space and vast crystalline cities that stretch as far as your eyes can see. Hyperspheres float like leaves in an autumnal breeze. 

Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning (NSP) is caused by a red-tide producer that was first identified in 1880 from Florida, with earlier historical references. It causes sickness in humans lasting several days. NSP is not fatal to humans however, it is known to kill fish, invertebrates, seabirds, and marine mammals (e.g., manatees). It is caused by the brevetoxin family (brevetoxin + 10 related compounds produced by the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis a.k.a. Gymnodinium breve. The main contamination problems include oysters, clams, and other filter feeders of the Gulf of Mexico and southeast Atlantic, including North Carolina. 

Sirenia Manatees and dugongs 2 4 <1% Subtropical Atlantic and Indo-Pacific coasts and rivers... 

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