Manatee love session stops traffic

Manatee love session stops traffic



By MARCIA LANE
marcia.lane@staugustine.com
Publication Date: 06/02/09

Traffic crawled over the State Road 16 bridge Monday afternoon as drivers rubbernecked, looking at nine gray West Indian manatees in the San Sebastian River.

"We've been trying to control that situation and make sure no one gets run over or wrecks into each other," said Cmdr. Barry Fox with the St. Augustine Police department.

Police couldn't do anything to control the manatees that are part of what's known as a mating herd.

They were, in the words of songwriting immortal Irving Berlin, "Doing What Comes Natur'lly."

During breeding a single female will be followed by a group of a dozen or more males, according to wildlife officials.

Tom Pitchford, a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said the peak of the manatee mating season is in April and May.

It's not unusual, he said, for people to think something is the matter when they see manatees in shallow water.

"Something looks amiss until you understand what's going on. (The public concern) is well-meaning concern," Pitchford said, adding people frequently contact officials to report what they think are manatees in distress.

He watched a video online at The St. Augustine Record Web site, and said the actions were perfectly natural.

"About 45-55 seconds in, she starts coming toward the camera and everybody else pretty much follows. They're trying to gain access to that one focal animal. If you could see it from above it would look like spokes radiating from a hub with the hub the female," Pitchford said.

The manatees were several hundred yards from the north side of the bridge over the San Sebastian River so getting an exact count was difficult although it appears there are nine of the aquatic mammals.

They were in about a foot of water and still able to move.

"We call it pec walking. They're using their flippers to inchworm along the mud," he said.

Pitchford said it's not completely understood why but the female will often ground herself either so the males can compete among themselves with the most persistent one winning, or because she knows the time is not exactly right.

"At its most basic, it's amorous males pursuing a female," Pitchford said. "Mating herds happen all around the state. We advise folks to give them a wide berth, they're not in distress. It's just part of the overall mating."

Mating herds can form and last over a period of days, so the manatees may still be in the river today.

"It's causing a bit of a traffic jam," said Linda Miller on her cell phone as she drove over the bridge Monday afternoon. Cars pulled into the parking lane on the bridge while other drivers slowed to watch the manatees.

Bridges make for excellent viewing sites. In Brevard County, the mating herds are an annual rite of spring causing traffic jams along the causeway, Pitchford said.

One St. Johns County mother who works in the recreation department knows all about that excellent view. Her son got a look at the manatees and their natural doings as his school bus headed over the bridge.

"We'll be having the (birds and bees) talk," she said.

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WEST INDIAN MANATEE FACTS

Migratory mammal believed to have evolved from a wading, plant-eating animal.

Approximately 3,000 left in U.S.

Females usually birth one calf every two to five years.

Herbivorous, eats aquatic plants.

Gentle and slow-moving.

About 9.8 feet long.

Weigh between 800-1,200 pounds.

No natural enemies.

Can live to 60 years or more.

Most manatee deaths are human-related including collisions with watercraft.

Loss of habitat is a serious problem.

Protected under federal law.

Source: www.savethemanatee.org

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