Parting shots 3 …..
In an attempt to go see some wildlife that I probably won’t see again until I return to Florida next year, I made a short trip down to the Bethune Beach Park just a few miles south of New Smyrna Beach. The small bay becomes a hotbed of mammal activity in the spring as both Manatee and Dolphin make use of the clear shallow waters. The dolphin love to “herd” fish (in the case of today mullet) into the shallows, trapping them against the rock breakwater. You can anticipate the “attack” by reading the water’s surface. What is a calm flat surface suddenly becomes more turbulent with waves being generated by the dolphins’ underwater activity. Often, mullet leap from the water in a frantic attempt to avoid being pursued. You follow these waves and leaping fish and suddenly a maelstrom breaks loose as the dolphins rise to the surface and force the fish into a “zone of no return”.
While all this mayhem is going on, only 30 yards away a pair manatees (perhaps mother and calf?) are lazing near what is reportedly a spring in proximity to the shoreline. In spite of their huge size, manatees have relatively little body fat and are very susceptible to cold temperatures of less than 68 degrees. Prolonged exposure to chilly water can lead to “cold stress” and potential death. For that reason, the manatees are not found in this little bay for much of the winter and it is only in the past 6 weeks or so that they have become residents of the little cove once again. Manatees can have their young at any time of year and the calves will stay with the mother for up to two years. Unlike many of the other animals we’ve been watching this winter and spring, manatees do not for pair bonds during mating and the female may indeed mate with several males. Once the calf is both, the male has no part in raising the young manatee. And so, I have to believe that this is mom and her young.
It was really interesting to see so much activity from the manatees today. So often when we do see them, they tend to be almost sedentary simply hunkering down in one spot or at most swimming slowly over to a new location to relax. There was a lot of human activity in this little cove today with a lot of kayakers and canoeists and even someone coming into the bay with a rather large pontoon boat. Not the smartest thing to do as virtually every manatee you see bears the scars of a run-in with a boat prop. As big as they are, they are not the fastest of swimmers and they do tend to laze just below the surface of the water….an accident waiting to happen. People have to be aware of the problems boats cause for these gentle giants and should make efforts to avoid contact rather than invite disaster by venturing too close.
As I prepared to head out, the biggest of the manatees decided to give me a “parting shot” of her own with a wave of her huge fluke, barnacles and all. Can’t wait to be back with these beautiful fascinating mammals when we return next year. For now, this short outing made for some fine “parting shots”.
