{"id":1378,"date":"2017-04-22T12:18:38","date_gmt":"2017-04-22T17:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/?p=1378"},"modified":"2017-06-22T12:53:17","modified_gmt":"2017-06-22T17:53:17","slug":"manatees-in-the-sian-kaan-biosphere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/destination\/manatees-in-the-sian-kaan-biosphere","title":{"rendered":"Manatees in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although the Sian Ka\u2019an Biosphere Reserve<\/strong>, which was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO<\/strong>, is home to a dizzying number of animal species, one of the most enchanting that inhabits the area is the manatee. \u00a0Once hunted by local fishermen, these brilliant creatures which have unfortunately become an endangered species, are now protected from such threats. \u00a0When you visit this splendid area, you may have the chance to observe them in their natural habitat, which is any animal lover\u2019s dream! \u00a0Here are some things you should know about these fascinating aquatic mammals:<\/p>\n

The Life of a Manatee<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Manatees typically live in shallow, marshy coastal areas and adjacent rivers such as the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. \u00a0They are one of the only marine animals able to successfully spend time in both fresh and saltwater. \u00a0However, they rely on fresh water to drink, which is why they are often found in the lagoons around Sian Ka\u2019an where fresh water emerges from underground Cenotes.<\/p>\n

They happen to be the largest vegetarian animals to inhabit the sea and can live to reach 60 years of age. \u00a0Being the good-natured animals they are, manatees do not have any natural enemies and therefore have not developed any type of defense mechanism. \u00a0These intelligent creatures communicate with one another through high-pitched sounds. \u00a0They spend roughly half of their days sleeping, while the remainder is usually spent grazing in shallow waters.<\/p>\n

Close Encounters<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Close<\/p>\n

While numbers of these endangered animals are not as strong as they once were, you can still see manatees in their natural habitat on a tour in Sian Ka\u2019an. \u00a0You will be guided by local experts who will share their knowledge about these large yet gentle creatures as you approach them to observe from a distance that will not interfere with their usual activities. \u00a0The area around the Boca Paila lagoon is an especially popular spot for manatees to surface for air. \u00a0Witnessing the magic of nature as they go about their daily lives will truly amaze and inspire you. \u00a0Get ready for an encounter in the wild like nothing you have experienced before!<\/p>\n

Dangers They Face<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Dangers<\/p>\n

As an endangered species, manatees need all of the help from humans they can get. \u00a0The more education people receive about them, the more likely everyone will do their part to keep them from harm. \u00a0When interacting with them, please remember not to touch, ride, poke at, feed, chase, surround or threaten the manatees in any way. \u00a0It is essential that mothers and calves stay together, so they should be approached with even greater caution and given more space.<\/p>\n

Human activity is still the greatest threat to manatees, both directly and indirectly. \u00a0Because they are naturally curious and move at a slow pace, manatees are often struck by the propellers of boat motors which can injure, disfigure or even kill them. \u00a0They are also susceptible to natural dangers such as hurricanes, cold stress and red tide poisoning.<\/p>\n

Get up close with manatees in their natural habitat in the Sian Ka\u2019an Biosphere to experience an adventure you will never forget!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although the Sian Ka\u2019an Biosphere Reserve, which was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is home to a dizzying number of animal species, one of the most enchanting that inhabits the area is the manatee. \u00a0Once hunted by local fishermen, these brilliant creatures which have unfortunately become an endangered species, are now protected from such threats. \u00a0When you visit this splendid area, you may have the chance to observe them in their natural habitat, which is any animal lover\u2019s dream! \u00a0Here are some things you should know about these fascinating aquatic mammals: The Life of a Manatee Manatees typically live in shallow, marshy coastal areas and adjacent rivers such as the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. \u00a0They are one of the only marine animals able to successfully spend time in both fresh and saltwater. \u00a0However, they rely on fresh water to drink, which is why they are often found in the lagoons around Sian Ka\u2019an where fresh water emerges from underground Cenotes. They happen to be the largest vegetarian animals to inhabit …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/manatees-in-the-sian-kaan-biosphere.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nManatees in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When you visit this splendid area, you may have the chance to observe them in their natural habitat, which is any animal lover\u2019s dream!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/destination\/manatees-in-the-sian-kaan-biosphere\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Manatees in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When you visit this splendid area, you may have the chance to observe them in their natural habitat, which is any animal lover\u2019s dream!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/destination\/manatees-in-the-sian-kaan-biosphere\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Paradise Blogging\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SianKaanVillage\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-04-22T17:18:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-06-22T17:53:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/manatees-in-the-sian-kaan-biosphere.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SianKaanVillage\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SianKaanVillage\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Social Media\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\">\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1378"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1378"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1378\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1388,"href":"https:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1378\/revisions\/1388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siankaanvillage.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}