Overview of Stuff You Should Know: The World Needs More Manatees
Josh and Chuck explain what makes manatees unusual, gentle, and beloved—from their close evolutionary relationship to elephants to their slow, plant-eating lives in warm coastal waters. They also describe how human activity threatens manatees, especially through boat strikes and the loss of seagrass habitat, and share ways people can help protect them.
What Manatees Are Like
There are three living manatee species: the Amazonian, West African, and West Indian manatees. The Florida manatee is a subspecies of the West Indian manatee. Manatees belong to the order Sirenia and share a distant common ancestor with elephants; their flexible lips even help them gather food in a way reminiscent of an elephant’s trunk.
Manatees are air-breathing mammals that live in coastal and brackish waters, as well as rivers and springs. They graze on seagrass and other aquatic plants for much of the day, moving slowly and often gathering to feed. Because they lack blubber and are vulnerable to cold, Florida manatees seek warm-water refuges in winter, including natural springs and sometimes power-plant outflows.
Their calm nature is a big part of their appeal. Manatees have no natural predators in Florida, are curious about people, and are not known for aggressive behavior. Mothers care for their calves for up to two years. The hosts also share memorable details: manatees can drink rainwater or water from a hose, their molars are continually replaced, and sleeping manatees bob up and down as they breathe.
How People Put Manatees at Risk
Boat collisions can cause fatal blunt-force injuries or propeller wounds; researchers sometimes identify individual manatees by their scar patterns. Human activity also damages manatees’ food supply. Fertilizer runoff contributes to algae blooms, which harm seagrass beds and leave manatees with less to eat.
The hosts cite a 2021 starvation event in Florida in which 1,255 manatees died, largely amid seagrass loss along the state’s east coast. They discuss the Indian River Lagoon as a particularly hard-hit habitat, while noting that some seagrass has reportedly begun to recover.
How to Help
- In Florida waters, slow down, watch for manatees, and follow boating rules designed to prevent collisions.
- Give manatees space. Although curious animals may approach people, touching or feeding them can make them unnaturally accustomed to humans and may put both people and manatees at risk.
- Report a manatee that appears injured, distressed, or orphaned to Florida Fish and Wildlife.
- Support habitat protection or organizations such as Save the Manatee Club, which offers manatee sponsorships.
The episode notes that Florida manatees were downgraded from endangered to threatened in 2017, a decision conservation advocates criticized. The hosts argue that protecting seagrass and reducing human-caused harm remain essential.
Closing
The episode ends with listener mail about the name of the hosts’ golf podcast, Three Putt Bogey, and a brief explanation of the golf term behind its title.