For Mother’s Day let’s celebrate some of my favorite Manatee Moms! Being a Manatee Mom is an “all-consuming” activity and we should applaud these attentive, female, sirenians. And while “Junior” is often named, the mother is often just known as “Mom”, much like land-based mother’s everywhere. :-)
Mom with Torpedo again, she keeps him under control with “tow”.
Some other “Manatee Moms” have a harder time keeping track of their active little ones. Here is little Sparky the manatee and his mom. She is trying to catch a nap; he has other ideas...
Sparky takes off to explore when mom is occupied, taking a breath.
Mom has to retrieve him at every turn, she wants him by her side.
You can understand why “Mom” is so protective of Sparky; note slash on mom’s tail from boat motor skeg. She makes sure Sparky is safe though.
Luckily during winters, the warm Florida springs are usually a safe haven from speeding boats. Manatee Moms can show off their calves and visa-versa!
And sometimes you just want to hug mom!
Some manatee are lucky enough to have Two Moms! Newborn, Angel the manatee bonding with mother, and hopeful mom right beside.
Here, you can see that on a manatee’s first day of life, two moms can come in very handy! Hopeful Mom makes sure Angel surfaces for air, while real Mom shoos away young male who wanted to play too rough with the infant.
Happy Mother’s Day, all Manatee Moms! We know your job is all-consuming, but we thank you for taking such good care of the little ones and hoping for a better future.
