The Manatees’ Social Structure

The Manatees’ Social Structure
The gentle and highly intelligent animal known as the
manatee does not really have a social structure as
such. They live life mostly on their own, although a
baby manatee calf can often expect 18 months of
nursing from its mother. Manatees have been seen to
be very caring and compassionate.During the mating
season, the male manatee can be quite aggressive,
but even when they are in groups, there is no “alpha”,
no leader. And when they do form groups, the groups
are small. Groups form when there is a food
shortage, simply for convenience, or the manatees
are migrating. But manatees often come to each
others’ aid, if one is hurt or struggling. A stressed
manatee can almost be sure that another manatee
will come to his aid. Many scientists agree that the
manatee is the most highly developed of all the marine mammals.
Mother manatees and calves do a lot of touching during the calves’ early development. These are very
evolved and sensitive relationships, and prove that the manatees’ reputation for being gentle,
compassionate and caring has a great foundation.
Manatees are also, when they are together,
extremely playful animals. They enjoy engaging in
play when they are bored, and mothers and calves
play a lot. This play seems to be an important part
of the calves’ development. And, while not much is
known about the manatees’ interaction as they do
not have a lot to do with each other, when they are
not in survival mode, and when there is plenty of
food for all, this playtime seems to be a special time
of inter-relating.
While there is no real social structure among
manatees, when in need they help each other. They
engage in play together, and mothers and babies
have a strong familial bond. They mostly keep to themselves, but can have short periods of time when
they are in small groups. The manatee really is a “Gentle Giant”.
Source: http://swimmingwiththemanatees.com/manatees-social-structure/
Captain Mike’s Swimming With The Manatees
1610 SE Paradise Circle Crystal River, FL 34429 USA
Phone: (352) 571–1888 | http://swimmingwiththemanatees.com