coffeentrees:

Photograph by @paulnicklen for @natgeo and @sea_legacy
A baby Manatee nurses from its mother in Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. Interestingly, the teats are below the mothers flippers and not on the belly like many other marine mammals. According to the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, the West Indian Manatee (Florida) is “listed as Endangered on the basis of a population size of less than 2,500 mature individuals and the population is estimated to decline by at least 20% over the next two generations (estimated at ~40 years) due to anticipated future changes in warm-water habitat and threats from increasing watercraft traffic over the next several decades”. There is much pressure from many Floridians to have this species downlisted from Endangered so that they can drive their boats faster in the local waters. #nature #wildlife #manatees #florida #natureispeaking #gratitude #picoftheday #cute #Planetaphoto #PorElPlaneta @ElPlanetaPhoto #beauty @natgeocreative @thephotosociety #savethemanatee by natgeo