In times of Ancient Greece sailors and shipmen usually ran into sea-maids' influence, listening to their music and singings.
At least, this what lots of legends and myths say.
However, nowadays sea-maids are recognized as common marine species manatees or so-called sea-cows, which do not perform any breathtaking sounds or cannot be described as attractive ones.
All in all, they can boast of non-predatory nature and behavior, which makes some contrast to well-known aggressive animals of the sea environment.
Sirenia species includes dugongs as well, the other sea-cow kind of animals.
In particular, their distribution within waters of the world might be enclosed from the point of three main species defined.
The first one is Amazon manatee, which is adopted to live in non-saline waters of Amazon River.
One of the recent developments is finding 2 months old manatee on the shores, which desperately struggled for life near his dead mother.
Death of adult manatees is a common thing for this area, which usually occurs when parents face the lack of meal or from poachers' hands.
The leading role in protection of animal habitat is played by INPA organization, the regulator of human activity in the basin of Amazon River.
All in all, the saved manatee is very adorable and lovely.
Its sizes is 76,2 cm long and 11 kg.
On the contrary, the adult individual reaches 2,8 meters and more than 500 kg respectively.
The American or West-Indian manatee resides in shallow coast of the Atlantic Ocean, beginning from the southeastern United States (Georgia and Florida) to Brazil, inhabiting entirely the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
There are two main types defined - those ones of Florida and Caribbean manatees.
The discovery of American manatee is associated with Christopher Columbus sailings to these lands.
In the fourth voyage, Columbus, who believed that manatees are mermaids, ordered to catch one of them and put into the lake.
The animal became handy, swam obediently to the call of man and lived for 26 years.
The best-known enemies of manatees in tropical rivers are caimans, and in the sea - tiger sharks.
However, these phlegmatic animals are able to provide strong resistance and often cope with the enemy themselves.
African manatees live in rivers, estuaries, bays and shallow coastal waters along the west coast of Africa, they are also found in lakes, surprisingly.
The northern border of their distribution is the Senegal River.
They usually do not have natural enemies and live long up to 30 years.
Attacks of sharks and crocodiles are very rare.
At least, this what lots of legends and myths say.
However, nowadays sea-maids are recognized as common marine species manatees or so-called sea-cows, which do not perform any breathtaking sounds or cannot be described as attractive ones.
All in all, they can boast of non-predatory nature and behavior, which makes some contrast to well-known aggressive animals of the sea environment.
Sirenia species includes dugongs as well, the other sea-cow kind of animals.
In particular, their distribution within waters of the world might be enclosed from the point of three main species defined.
The first one is Amazon manatee, which is adopted to live in non-saline waters of Amazon River.
One of the recent developments is finding 2 months old manatee on the shores, which desperately struggled for life near his dead mother.
Death of adult manatees is a common thing for this area, which usually occurs when parents face the lack of meal or from poachers' hands.
The leading role in protection of animal habitat is played by INPA organization, the regulator of human activity in the basin of Amazon River.
All in all, the saved manatee is very adorable and lovely.
Its sizes is 76,2 cm long and 11 kg.
On the contrary, the adult individual reaches 2,8 meters and more than 500 kg respectively.
The American or West-Indian manatee resides in shallow coast of the Atlantic Ocean, beginning from the southeastern United States (Georgia and Florida) to Brazil, inhabiting entirely the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
There are two main types defined - those ones of Florida and Caribbean manatees.
The discovery of American manatee is associated with Christopher Columbus sailings to these lands.
In the fourth voyage, Columbus, who believed that manatees are mermaids, ordered to catch one of them and put into the lake.
The animal became handy, swam obediently to the call of man and lived for 26 years.
The best-known enemies of manatees in tropical rivers are caimans, and in the sea - tiger sharks.
However, these phlegmatic animals are able to provide strong resistance and often cope with the enemy themselves.
African manatees live in rivers, estuaries, bays and shallow coastal waters along the west coast of Africa, they are also found in lakes, surprisingly.
The northern border of their distribution is the Senegal River.
They usually do not have natural enemies and live long up to 30 years.
Attacks of sharks and crocodiles are very rare.