"Lorelei" and another manatee near the mouth of Homosassa Spring.
Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park Dec. 13, 2009 This manatee, named "Lorelei", is a year-round resident of the Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park. One of the park volunteers pitched carrots into the water to attract her and others. I was surprised to hear that she had been scrubbed by park staff to remove the algae growing on her skin, since she doesn't go into the salt water. The early sailors who thought these huge, gray mammals were mermaids had been at sea WAAAY too long! ;) These gentle animals are herbivores, they normally eat sea grass. Manatees cannot tolerate water temperatures below 68 degrees F, so they move into the rivers in the winter.
Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park, FL Dec. 13, 2009 This handsome guy's nickname was "Don Juan". He had been removed from the wild because he had fathered too many cubs, scientists needed to remove him from the gene pool. He shared his enclosure with a female cougar, but they had to stay apart. She had been a "pet", her ignorant owners had her de-clawed, so she is unable to defend herself. When we drove down Hwy. 29 to the Big Cypress Preserve we passed "Panther Crossing" signs. The last stand for these magnificent creatures is in the Fakahatchee Strand and the Big Cypress Preserve. They are on the endangered species list due to habitat loss.
