Before you start, discuss the word longevity as a class discussion. Come up with a definition and write it here:

longevity - __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Go to www.seaworld.org/infobooks/Manatee/home.html

Since you are investigating longevity and causes of death, click on the appropriate category to begin your research.

I. Take out your Longevity and Causes of Death Questions sheet and read to answer the five questions thoroughly and in your own words. They will be important for a group discussion later.

II. Take out your Census Count sheet.

     A. There is already a chart there for you. Please fill in the accurate

         data for each date.

     B. Using the graph set up below the chart make a line graph that

          shows the changes in census counts over the years. Be sure to add an

                                               C. Answer the very important question below the graph

1. Explain how scientists determine manatee age and why they can’t use a more common method?

2. There is information on this web site, which contradicts facts we thought we knew, about manatees and their interactions with natural predators. Explain.

3. How many boats on average are registered in Florida each year, and what is it about manatees that makes them targets for these boaters?

4. There is information about manatee injuries in both the head and upper back. What do these statistics suggest?

5. How does the population in Florida change on a daily basis, and how might this affect manatees and their habitat?

III. Take out your Manatee Deaths by Category sheet.

                 A. Fill in the appropriate data in your chart from the web site, and determine the percents asked 

                        for below the chart.

                B. Use the handout from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation

                       Commission to fill in the second data chart.

C. Take that data and complete a double bar graph that compares the percentages concerning ways in which manatees were killed over the past 25 years, and the most common causes of their deaths now. Use the graph paper provided. Be careful to be neat and accurate. Be sure to:

    - Give your graph a title

    - Label the x-axis and the y-axis appropriately

    - Choose a scale that works for your data

    - Use a ruler to make the bars

    - Be sure that the spacing is even

    - Color neatly

    - Include a key that tells the reader when the data came from for each category.

 

Chart for Manatee Deaths by Category 1976-2000

 

***Use the handout from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission to fill out this more updated chart.***

After you complete your double bar graph, look at the data. Do we seem to be making progress in any of these areas based on the number of manatee deaths now compared to in the past?