Rose the Rosy Manatee

by Cornerstoregoddess

There once was a pink manatee.
Her color was all you could see.

She always wore roses.
That's why, we supposes,

She swam in the West Floral Sea.

Rose the Manatee can be found here and here.

Manatees and Mermaids: How to Tell the Difference

Back in 1493, as Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sailed his ships near the Dominican Republic, he saw what he thought were three mermaids.  They were actually manatees, which explains why Columbus wrote that they were "not half as beautiful as they are painted."

Mermaids, the legendary creatures who are half fish/half female, have made their appearance in seafaring cultures dating back to the ancient Greeks.  They are said to have a woman's head and torso.  But instead of legs, they sport a fish tail. 

Here is a handy guide so that, when you see either a manatee or a mermaid, you will be able to tell the difference.

Mermaids are generally seen holding a mirror and comb.

Manatees are never seen holding a mirror and comb, though they might be wearing a barnacle or two.

 The life span of a mermaid is 300 years, after which she turns to sea foam.

The life span of a manatee is 50-60 years.

 In some legends and fairy tales, mermaids can take on a human shape and marry mortal men. 

Manatees are not big on marriage, and prefer to mate with other manatees.

The biggest danger to a mermaid is a handsome prince.

The biggest danger to a manatee is a boat.

A mermaid who marries a prince forever loses her ability to speak and sing.

 

Manatees who meet up with boats also lose their ability to speak and sing.

 

A mermaid is roughly the size and weight of a human.

 

An adult manatee is typically 10-12 feet long and weighs 800 to 1,200 pounds. 

 

 

Mermaids are vegetarians.  They mostly eat seaweed and algae.

Manatees are vegetarians, as well.  Be careful, because at a dinner party you might have trouble determining which is the manatee and which is the mermaid.

 

If you need to do further comparison, stop by my etsy and eBay stores.  You can ask the manatees and mermaids you find there. 

Chessie the Manatee Rides Again!

According to SoMsNews.com, a manatee was found swimming around at Flag Harbor Marina in St. Leonard Tuesday attracting crowds of onlookers.  The manatee surfaced every 10 or 15 minutes briefly to refill its lungs and stayed near the haul out dock for Flag Harbor Marine Services.

Submitted photo by Terry Trefry 

Florida biologists have confirmed that the manatee that visited Flag Harbor was Chessie, a manatee that was first rescued in Maryland 16 years ago and was last spotted in Virginia 10 years ago.  When Trefry of Long Beach, who took pictures of the manatee, researched manatees on the Internet, she learned about Chessie.  After viewing photos of the animal, which had a similar scar on its back, she thought it may be Chessie. Trefry contacted the National Aquarium Baltimore and emailed them photos.  The staff there forwarded them to a center in Florida that tracks manatees. 

Cathy A. Beck, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey Southeast Ecological Science Center Sirenia Project in Gainesville, Fla., confirmed that the photos she took were of Chessie. Beck manages the Manatee Individual Photo-identification System (MIPS), a USGS database of images and sighting histories for more than 2,500 manatees, with data for some extending back to the late 1960s. This long-term database provides critical data to model Florida manatee population dynamics needed to assess recovery and status of this endangered species under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Biologists presumed that Chessie had died, and when they indentified Chessie in Florida, she said they too were very excited.  According to National Aquarium Baltimore’s Stranding Coordinator Jennifer Dittmar, Chessie made his debut in Maryland in 1994 and stayed late into the fall. A rescue effort was undertaken and Chessie, who was named at the time, spent several days in rehabilitation at the National Aquarium Baltimore before being returned to the warm waters of Florida. Chessie hasn’t been seen in nearly 10 years when he was last spotted in Virginal in August of 2001.Some of the aquarium staff from 1994 when Chessie was rescued is still at the aquarium. 

“It’s a great feeling for the staff, especially [knowing] that he’s still out there and doing well,” she said.

In 1994 a satellite transmitter was placed on Chessie, but it was lost somewhere in North Carolina the following year, she said.
 
Given Chessie’s past sightings and travels, Dittmar said that he is likely to be heading north.
“I’ve alerted folks in the northeast region,” she said. Then as the water cools, the manatee will head back to the warmer waters.

More about Chessie at http://fl.biology.usgs.gov/Manatees/Manatee_Sirenia_Project

More manatee charms here and here.  (They aren't endangered.)

Under the Sea, Sung and Danced by the Charms

Howard Ashman, Alan Menken. From the movie "Little Mermaid"

The seaweed is always greener
In somebody else's lake
You dream about going up there
But that is a big mistake
Just look at the world around you
Right here on the ocean floor
Such wonderful things surround you
What more is you lookin' for?

Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me

Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the sea

Down here all the fish is happy
As off through the waves they roll
The fish on the land ain't happy
They sad 'cause they in their bowl

But fish in the bowl is lucky
They in for a worser fate
One day when the boss get hungry
Guess who's gon' be on the plate

Under the sea
Under the sea
Nobody beat us
Fry us and eat us
In fricassee

We what the land folks loves to cook
Under the sea we off the hook
We got no troubles
Life is the bubbles
Under the sea
Under the sea

Since life is sweet here
We got the beat here
Naturally
Even the sturgeon an' the ray
They get the urge 'n' start to play
We got the spirit
You got to hear it
Under the sea

The newt play the flute
The carp play the harp
The plaice play the bass
And they soundin' sharp

The bass play the brass
The chub play the tub
The fluke is the duke of soul
(Yeah)

The ray he can play
The lings on the strings
The trout rockin' out
The blackfish she sings
The smelt and the sprat
They know where it's at
An' oh that blowfish blow

Under the sea
Under the sea
When the sardine
Begin the beguine
It's music to me

What do they got? A lot of sand
We got a hot crustacean band
Each little clam here
know how to jam here
Under the sea

Each little slug here
Cuttin' a rug here
Under the sea
Each little snail here
Know how to wail here
That's why it's hotter
Under the water
Ya we in luck here
Down in the muck here
Under the sea

Sing along with the charms here and here.

New Manatees and a Return of the Rhyme

I'm partial to the manatee,
which emanates no vanity.
It swims amidst anemones
and hasn't any enemies.
~Jack Prelutsky



My charms swim here.

An Ode to the Manatee

A Manatee poem from Jack Prelutsky and a charm from me:



I'm partial to the manatee,
which emanates no vanity.
It swims amidst anemones
and hasn't any enemies.