Manatee
Migration Update: February 11, 2004
Today's
Report Includes:
- This Week's Manatee Migration Update
- Capturing Manatees: Video Discussion of CQ's #1 & 2
- Measuring Manatee Movements: Discussion of CQ #3
- Holy Cow! What a Calf: Discussion of CQ #4
- Manatee Hotspot: Discussion of CQ #5
- Geological Wonder: Discussion of CQ #6
- Teacher Tip: Student Assessment and Journey North
- What's This? Looking Ahead
This Week's Manatee Migration Update
Today's Update gives you discussions of the Challenge Questions we asked last week, including many of your own answers. Watch for these "CQ" Updates every other week, between our regularly scheduled Manatee Updates. From time to time, we'll also include helpful Teacher Tips too, like the one at the base of today's report. And you'll also find out what last week's "What's This?" mystery photo was too.
Capturing Manatees: Video Discussion of Challenge Questions #1 & #2
Last week Challenge Question #1 asked "How do you think manatee scientists capture a manatee? Describe what equipment you think they would use, how many people it might take, and what makes a good capture site(s)?"
And Challenge Question #2 asked "What other reasons can you think of why scientists would capture manatees, besides attaching tracking tags?"
Now Playing: Watch video of manatee captures! (The answers are put into motion, with a detailed description by Biologist Susan Butler too. Look, listen, and be careful you don't get splashed!)
| Link to: Manatees "Captured" on Film--A Half-ton of Fun? |
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Many students "captured" our attention and sent in their answers to these Challenge Questions.
Measuring Manatee Movements: Discussion of Challenge Question #3
After you plotted and mapped the manatee migrations from the data, we asked you to describe:
"(a) Which manatee had the greatest change in longitude? How many degrees of longitude did it travel between its eastern-most and western-most data readings?"
Answer: Giffer has made the greatest change in longitude, traveling about 0.40 degrees. His eastern-most longitude location was 81.11 W and his western-most was 81.51 W.
"(b) Which manatee had the greatest change in latitude? How many degrees of latitude did it travel between its northern-most and southern-most data readings? How many miles does that change in latitude represent?"
Answer: Giffer has made the greatest change in latitude too, again traveling south about 0.40 degrees. His northern-most longitude location was 25.96 N and his southern-most was 25.56 N. This equates to about 27.6 miles! (One full degree of latitude equals about 69 miles, and .40 degrees multiplied by 69 miles equals 27.6 miles) How do you calculate mileage from degrees? Take a look:
"(c) Why do you think manatees migrate where and when they do? What reasons can you think of?"
Answer: What do YOU do when it's really cold outside? You head indoors to find a warmer place. So do manatees. Like you, manatees are warm-blooded, so cold temperature is one of the main things that leads them to migrate. The manatee is very susceptible to cold-related disease which can be a serious threat to their health. Water temperatures below 68 degrees Fahrenheit usually cause manatees to move to find warm waters. And the most common warm water refuge areas are places such as natural springs like those at Blue Spring, or at warm water effluents of power plants.
Holy Cow! What a Calf: Discussion of Challenge Question #4
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| Credit:
FWC |
New calves are one factor in estimating population, and monitoring the calf numbers is really important for several reasons. First, manatee reproduction is a slow process, and manatee births are not an everyday event, so researchers closely watch the number of calves. Second, manatees are an endangered species, and every new birth makes a difference to the long term future of the species. Births are the counterpart of deaths, and for the manatee this is a very delicate balance.
Why does the number of new calves fluctuate each year at Blue Spring? It has to do with somewhat of a pattern there of birthing every two years. According to Ranger Wayne,
"our animals tend to birth on a two-year interval, one year pregnant and one year nursing. Most give birth in the same year leaving the minority to birth the next year. Hence, we might see a pattern of six calves then twelve the next year then seven then seventeen."
Manatee Hotspot: Discussion of Challenge Question #5
Last week's Challenge Question #5 asked: "Why do you think a mammal like a manatee migrates to the Blue Spring Run in the winter? Why do you think a record number of manatees has been counted at Blue Spring this season?"
As explained above in Challenge Question #3(c), the manatee is very susceptible to cold-related disease, and the natural springs at Blue Spring are a favorite winter warm water spot. The number of manatees counted each year is generally in relation to the temperatures each year, with more manatees coming in during years when temperatures are the coldest.
Geological Wonder: Discussion of Challenge Question #6
Last week we asked you just how much the "Boil" pushes out. Follow the link, watch the video, and find out the "hot" details:
 The Blue Spring Boil |
Mrs. Thurber's Grade Six students, Christopher and Brian from Vermont, got down to business and showed us some manatee math on this question! They correctly calculated the amount of water for 2 hours: "The total number of gallons pushed out a day is 104 million. So we divided that number by 12 because 24 hours divided by 2 hours would be 12 hours. Our answer for 'a' is 8,666,666.66 gallons."; and also the amount for 10 days:"It would do 1,040,000,000 gallons of water."
They also provided some food for thought on our water usage too. According to the American Water Works Association a typical family uses an average of 74 gallons of water indoors and almost that much again if they water the lawn outdoors and wash the car. We don't do a lot of that in the wintertime in Vermont." Way to go, Christopher and Brian!
You may be considering how you will assess your students' understanding over the coming months. Take a look at veteran Teacher Cathie Plaehn's suggestions on using Challenge Questions, journals and year-end presentations as assessment tools.
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| Students
Make Their Own Maps to Track Migrations
Click image to enlarge |
What's This? Looking Ahead
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Do you know what this is, and how it relates to studying manatees in Florida? Next time we'll tell you more about it. Bon Appetit!
The Next Manatee Migration Update Will Be Posted on February 18, 2004.
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