Manatees are considered to be nice because of their gentle disposition. They don't have any significant predators, so they don't have aggressive behaviors to defend themselves. They are curious and will approach a human because they're inquisitive. They communicate with each other with chirps, whistles or squeaks. These sounds are used for maintaining contact with one another, signaling distress or expressing enjoyment.
Manatees use their tails in an up and down motion to propel themselves forward. They tend to be solitary animals or maybe in pairs or very small groups of six or less. When they're in a group, they're called an 'aggregation.'
Manatees live in warm, coastal waters, rivers and springs in the Caribbean, Central and South America, Mexico and Florida. They can live in both freshwater and saltwater. The Western Indian Manatee, known as the Florida Manatee, is the world's most humble creature. They don't know any form of aggression.
The main threat to manatees are collisions with boats. They feed and rest in shallow waters, which makes them vulnerable to boats. Remote-controlled flood gates have also crushed manatees. Entrapment in flood gates and navigation locks regularly kill manatees and is the second leading human factor for their deaths. Sadly, manatees are dying in high numbers because of runoff from factory farming. When the runoff reaches the ocean, it helps the toxic algae to bloom, and that is what destroys sea grass.
The manatee is a slow, gentle and large creature, earning the nicknames of gentle giant or sea cow. Like cows, males are called bulls, females are called cows and the babies calves. They are incredibly graceful creatures and play an important role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Manatees eat a lot of sea grass and keep the grass short, which helps maintain the health of the sea grass beds.
The manatee's presence encourages us to embrace and explore the depths of our emotions with gentle compassion and acceptance. Modern day human existence can be upsetting and divisive. The manatee's spiritual energy can help serve as a compass, showing us the way back to a place of inner peace.
