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Manatees belong to the mammalian order
known as Sirenians, which also includes dugongs (who live in the
Indian Ocean). The other member of the order, Stellar’s Sea Cow,
is already extinct. It used to live in the Bering Sea.
Today, manatees live on the West African Coast and in the West Indies. Some West Indian manatees live in the Southeastern US and some of these have been spotted as far north as New York City. Another species of manatees lives in the Amazon River basin in South America. All three types of manatees are in danger of extinction. The major cause of death is the encroachment of human beings on manatee habitats. We think it’s nice to own coastal property in a nice warm place like Florida, but nothing could be worse for manatees. Want to learn more about manatees? Want to help them? Instead of spending your money on t-shirts, send it to an organization that works to protect manatees and their habitats! We’ve got some links below. We appreciate your business, but it would make us far happier to know that manatees were finally safe!
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