READ FIRST>>>Manatees are mammals that live in the warm, clear water environment of Florida’s shallow rivers. They are large peaceful, gentle, curious creatures and slow-moving swimmers. They spend many hours each day feeding on water plants. Manatees must surface to breathe every 15 minutes.
The manatee’s environment is changing because hotels and homes are being built along Florida’s rivers, and the change is affecting them in a negative way. Noise and activity from people and boats scare them. Manatees can be seriously injured by powerboat propellers because the manatees cannot tell the direction from which the boats are coming. The water plants the manatees use for food are being destroyed. As a result of these and other changes in their surroundings, manatees are on the endangered species list and may one day be gone from Florida’s rivers.

1) Why is the manatee considered an endangered species?

2) Manatees feed on a wide variety of submerged or floating vegetation like various algae.
a. Omnivores b. Herbivores
c. Carnivores d. Producers

3) Identify one environmental condition that might lead to the disappearance of manatees from Florida’s rivers: ____________________________

4)Provide at least one solution that could help the population of manatee grow: _________