News Flash--Six New Manatees Now Online: February 14, 2001 Today's unscheduled report contains exciting news from Cathy Beck and Crew Success Times Six! Courtesy of Naples Daily News "Our first manatee capture attempts were very successful! Six female manatees were captured and radiotagged at Port of the Islands, a series of man-made canals at the north end of the Faka Union Canal (25.961N, 81.509W), near Ten Thousand Islands. We are all anxious now to see what they do and where they go in the days, weeks, and months to come! Courtesy of Naples Daily News "Five of the six manatees tagged were showing some signs of cold stress. They were emaciated and had some skin damage caused by cold temperatures, but they were definitely not in critical condition. It has been a very cold winter in Florida, even in the Everglades at the southern tip of the state. As we track these manatees we will monitor their condition and keep you posted. Ahoy Addison! "During the capture activities, the crew was surprised when one female in particular swam in the net! They recognized her as "Addison", the 5-year old wild born calf of "Naples", a previously captive manatee. "Two of the other manatees were given names, 'Megan' and 'Grace'. In the next report, we'll send the others' names, along with the length and weight measurements and the tracking data for all six new manatees. We're a little worried that these manatees could lose their tags before too long. Courtesy of Naples Daily News "We do plan on another capture attempt, and we hope to get at least one male! We'll let you know what happens. "In the meantime, see if you can 'capture' the answers to these questions: Challenge Question #4: 'How did the crew know it was Addison who swam in the net?' Challenge Question #5: 'How do you think manatee names are chosen?' Challenge Question #6: 'Why do you think the cold-stressed manatees were emaciated?' Challenge Question #7: 'What is in the Everglades that makes the scientists a little more concerned this year about the manatees losing their transmitters?'" (To respond to these questions, please follow the instructions below.) Cathy Beck Sirenia Project Gainesville, FL How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message. 1. Address an E-mail message to: jn-challenge-manatee@learner.org 2. IMPORTANT: In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #4 (OR #5, OR #6, OR #7) 3. In the body of the EACH message, give your answer to ONE of the questions above. The Next Manatee Migration Update will Be Posted on February 21, 2001 Copyright 2001 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form