G7_The Manatee – An Endangered Icon_ grade level_03

Today, the friends hope to see and photograph manatees. They also know there are strict rules that must be followed to help protect them. 

• Let the manatee come to you; never chase or pursue a manatee.
• Do not feed manatees.
• Do not separate manatees, such as a mother from her calf.

The friends are not worried about the $100,00 fine. They have no intention of harassing any manatees. They want to know the rules so they can spend time with these majestic creatures. They would never want to cause them any harm. In fact, they are at the spring today so they can learn more about manatees in order to help them. Their goal is to save them from extinction.

Manatees are on the endangered species list along with many other Florida animals. Manatees face many threats, from boat collisions to red tides. Regardless of the type of threat, all of the threats have one thing in common: humans. The goal of these friends is to start a campaign to help save the manatee as well as other threatened and endangered species. They want to start with a campaign at their school to educate other students about threatened and endangered species. They also want to find ways they can work to help save them. 

A threatened species is one that is likely to become endangered in the near future. that is unless steps are taken to protect it. An endangered species is one that is, or soon may be, in immediate danger of extinction. For a species to receive this status, it must be listed on a Federal list of threatened and endangered species. Some of the species currently on the list may be familiar to you. The list includes the American alligator, the Florida panther, the American crocodile, and of course, the manatee, just to name a few.