Hands on: scientific Manatee: save sensitive species by Peter Lourie

Today, it is without wind, sunny, cold and perfect.

Why surveys Manatee in cold wave? During periods of cold in the South of Florida, manatees gather and refuge in hot water 72 degree of natural sources or in the discharge of hot water of large power plants across both coasts.

Seeing manatees of an aircraft is a remarkable experience, explains John Reynolds. "You're only seven hundred feet above the water, and you can see them increase breathing and interact between them." You see moms and calves beside them, many with the boat scars on the back. »

Can be also exciting that flying low, a wing right down, waterways of Florida to prepare an annual census of manatees beloved of Florida, for the protection of threatened species of the planet. It can also be as sad that find the bones of a manatee to Amazon, raised by a bottle calf to see that it has failed to survive when released in an ogapo, a tributary of the water dark Amazon, as did Brazilian naturalist Fernando Rosas in his work difficult to support the manatees shy River of South America.

Or perhaps the most exciting find biological could occur on land, deep in the forests of the Congo, behind the log-cabin of a more seasoned Manatee of the Hunter River. In the hope of buying Harpoon well-worn Hunter recently died to discourage his son to take his trade, marine field scientist Lucy Keith stumbling on a treasure trove of biological information in the heap of large bones Manatee behind the hunter Houseinvaluable sources of cycle of life and genetic information on the African Manatee little known and rarely seen.

Everything is in working a day of a scientific practice of field, such as that documented in the richly illustrated scientific Manatee (SITF): save vulnerable species (scientists in the field series) (Houghton Mifflin, 2011), later in vast and mentioned scientists in the field series. Author Peter Lourie does not hesitate to take the reader "in the weeds", as he follows scientists of his work on their work daily, glamour and not so glamorous - work that involves not only heal and releasing calves injured or abandoned, but also capture specimens healthy to collect blood samples, collection of the faeces of cloudy water deep in the rainforest, or collection found remains of animals deceased to learn as much as possible on this mammal reclus herbivorous water. Knowledge about the life cycle of normal physiology, reproduction, and threats of existence these animals face is essential to their preservation. As a large (up to 3600 pounds) marine mammals with no means of self defense and a need to eat enormous amounts of plant matter every day, the distant cousin of the elephant and aardvark are only one of the mammals of roughly of water nature scientists from around the world have continued to strengthen the work of defenders of the environment.

Author Lourie describes each of these scientists in their regions of the three main varieties Atlantic of the Manatee and safeguard its text with photos in the sumptuous colours of each step of their work, followed by an appendix with notes of the authoran extensive glossary and index complete to help middle school and the high school of reports.

Some of the intriguing titles in this fascinating series are the extreme scientists: mysteries Nature explore the perilous places (scientists in the field series) (see my review here), mysterious universe: Supernovae, dark energy and black holes (scientists in the field series), Diving of a volcano in deep water (scientists in the field series), and warriors of Science: the battle against invasive species (scientists in the field series).

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