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.)

The Owl and the Pussycat...as Portrayed by Charms

by Edward Lear

I

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea     In a beautiful pea green boat, (accompanied by a manatee) They took some honey, and plenty of money,     Wrapped up in a five pound note. The Owl looked up to the stars above,     And sang to a small guitar, 'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,       What a beautiful Pussy you are,           You are,           You are! What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

II

Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!     How charmingly sweet you sing! O let us be married! too long we have tarried:     But what shall we do for a ring?' They sailed away, for a year and a day,     To the land where the Bong-tree grows (elephants can always be found near Bong Trees) And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood     With a ring at the end of his nose,           His nose,           His nose, With a ring at the end of his nose.

III

'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling     Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.' So they took it away, and were married next day     By the Turkey who lives on the hill. (This is his neighbor, the eagle). They dined on mince, and slices of quince,     Which they ate with a runcible spoon; And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,     They danced by the light of the moon,           The moon,           The moon, They danced by the light of the moon. Be CHARMed here and here.