Christopher Columbus, on his way to America, made an entry in his logbook that he happened to observe sea maidens, which turned out to be by no means as beautiful as they are described in the legends. For sweet-voiced sirens, he mistook manatees that were not too human. Subsequently, the name Sirenia was assigned to the detachment of these animals and their relatives, the dugongs.
Negative sea maidens
If manatees can be mistaken for mythical sea maidens, then perhaps they are very well-fed and for some reason have lost their hair. These are large and good-natured animals, reaching an average of three meters and weighing from four hundred to five hundred and fifty kilograms. They have in common with sirens only the presence of an oar-shaped tail.
The animals also have flippers, which they use not only when swimming, but also for walking along the bottom. Flippers can even scratch the manatee amusingly. The skin of the sirens is covered with sparse hair that sheds constantly. An interesting feature of this species, which makes them related to elephants, is the constant change of molars: new ones regularly grow to replace old and worn ones. Manatees live in waters off the coast of North, Central and South America, off the west coast of Africa, and in the Caribbean.
They often swim in rivers that flow into the sea near their habitats, and the Amazonian manatee lives exclusively in fresh water. Despite their rather impressive size, manatees are peaceful animals that feed exclusively on plant foods - algae, near-water plants, as well as fruits that have fallen into the water. Once every three to five years, female manatees have one cub, which stays with the mother for at least two years until it becomes independent. However, there is still a bond between the female and the adult cub.
Manatee problems
Manatees have practically no natural enemies, so these animals did not develop the habit of constantly being on the alert and, in case of danger, fleeing or attacking the enemy in the course of evolution. They are friendly and curious, they come into contact with divers without fear, allow themselves to be stroked. Cubs enjoy playing with people, while adults look at it favorably and take advantage of the respite.
Such habits have served the manatees in an evil service. Today, there are three species of this animal: American, African and Amazonian manatee, all of them are endangered. Clumsy animals have long been an object of hunting, their meat was highly valued. Today, hunting for manatees is prohibited, but other dangers to sirens have emerged. They often die, falling under the blades of outboard motors, swallow fishing nets, which also leads to their death.