Wow, thanks everyone for all the many congrats, etc.! I appreciate it.
I know Alex and Co. are "tapping their toes" for more photos (it is just like the in-laws to act like that you know......
) - yes I'll get a couple posted soon but realize too some are going to be in print and I have to keep something fresh to surprise everyone!!
Yes, as I told Bob Bonde at first that this was the best thing I've ever witnessed underwater by far, I was so excited and exhilarated..... But his initial answer tempered my enthusiasm and I began to worry as I became very "attached" to "Angel". As with with many things in nature there are two sides to this story (and probably more)...., but the good news is that in this case the mother and calf did bond and all is well - keep your fingers crossed!! More data in answer to Dean's ? below:
P.s do other Mother/female Manatee's baby-sit newbies ????
You know Dean that is what I first thought when I saw this. I thought those were sort of "mid-wives" helping, "baby-sitters", etc. And while this probably does occur in manatee society, well here again is Bob Bonde on the subject:
"I think the behavior you observed does not constitute midwife activities, but more a form of curiosity. Unfortunately, this type of possible interference may be deliberate and could lead to calf/cow separation. This has been demonstrated in other mammal populations, but is rare in manatees as late pregnant females will generally seek out quiet areas where the chances of disturbance are minimized. We have observed what you watched with a couple of our pregnant radio tagged manatees after giving successful birth on the Atlantic coast. The good news is that the moms were determined enough (or lucky?) to retain the bond. Only time will tell here." But just to interject my observation - the way I see it manatee have almost none, if any aggressive tendencies. Even during mating there is a lot of activity and males are persistent and lots of jostling occurs, etc, but there are no injuries and such. If these manatee were "curious" about the baby it is possible that manatee are also so "enamored" with a new baby that they "lose their heads" (much like people do sometimes around manatee.....
). This is just another viewpoint, strictly from my observational standpoint but of course Bob has a much more broad and factual view of the situation with his 25 years + of manatee research.
Interesting thing was I observed a young male manatee separating the newborn from its mother, and I even photoed what looked like the calf trying to nurse on the younger male. So this brings to light the serious consequences that can "innocently" or "not so innocently" occur if the newborn cannot bond with its own mother during all the "hubbub" and the calf does not survive. Thus Bob's comment above about how manatee moms usually seek out remote areas to give birth. Why didn't that happen in this case? First of all the weather was very cold, 32 degrees that am and the Three Sister's area is the warmest place at Crystal River. Plus the tide and wind created a very low water level and it is possible that the manatee mother had to "give birth in the back of the cab" so to speak........ I found the afterbirth on the shallow substrate right outside the sanctuary. Yes it was probably scraped off there but it does give clues as to the birth area.
Also I have just learned from Cathy Beck at USGS (United States Geological Survey), Bob Bonde's associate who is in charge of IDing all the manatees that this mother was probably a first-time mom. Ah the pieces of the puzzle start to fit....... Again in Cathy Beck's own words (in response to 130 photos I sent the USGS of the event):
"Thanks so much for sending us the link to view your beautiful images of this newborn calf and the adults with her. Sorry it's taken us a few days to match the mom of this newborn. We have photo-documented her only twice, both times in the Homosassa, in March 2005 and Jan 2006. In 2005 she was considered a subadult, so I suspect this might be her first calf. The manatee close-by, with the left tail mutilation is also a female (image #42). There are a few other known manatees in the group - one in particular is CR485 (white scar, mid-tail, seen on image #57), another young female, first seen while still a dependent calf in early 2001. We're still working on more details, but just wanted to get back to you with what we had so far. Also, one of our biologists, Susan Butler, was at 3 Sisters this morning and reported that the mom and calf were both in the sanctuary!"So you see why my encounter was so rare, even in such a populated area. And it is good that it is rare and I actually hope the actual "birth-moment" is never recorded in the wild as it has been documented in captivity so that is all we need to know. For the good of the new mother/calf privacy is important and I'm proud to say that the only people that showed up to witness the event were extremely polite and understanding of the situation (that I of course clued them into). But the other manatee involved were not as understanding as the polite people for sure!
Still my feeling is that it was all quite "innocent" amongst a few over-excited manatees.
Still it looks like Angel's survival instincts are strong and he and his mom are together and doing well at Crystal River right now!! It won't hurt for everyone to send their good thoughts though....... GO ANGEL!!!!!!!
Thanks Everyone, Again It Was Just Amazing - it is what we spend all that time planning and being underwater for - moments like this............... Carol
Edited by seagrant, 07 March 2008 - 10:47 AM.
