|
|
Adimey, Nicole M.; Ross, Monica; Hall, Madison; Reid, James P.; Barlas, Margaret E.; Keith Diagne, Lucy W.; Bonde, Robert K.
(detail)
|
| |
|
2016 |
Twenty-six years of post-release monitoring of Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris): evaluation of a cooperative rehabilitation program.
Aquatic Mamms. 42(3): 376-391. 3 tabs. 5 figs. DOI 10.1578/AM.42.3.2016.376.
–ABSTRACT: The rescue, rehabilitation, and release of Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) into the wild has occurred since 1974; however, a comprehensive evaluation of the outcomes of the releases has never been conducted. Herein, we examined data for 136 Florida manatees that were rehabilitated and released with telemetry tags between 1988 and 2013 to determine release outcome of each individual as either success (acclimation) or failure after at least 1 y. Ten predictor variables were statistically evaluated for potential relationships to release outcome. To assess the contribution of each predictor variable to release outcome, each variable was tested for significance in univariate analyses. Manatees born in captivity experienced poor success after release (14%), whereas the overall success of wild-born individuals was higher (72%). When compared with other variables in our dataset, number of days in captivity was the strongest predictor for determining success. Manatees rescued as calves and held in captivity for more than 5 y had a high likelihood of failure, while subadults and adults had a high likelihood of success, regardless of the amount of time spent in captivity. Ensuring the success of individual manatees after release is critical for evaluating the contribution of the manatee rehabilitation program to the growth of the wild population.
|
|
|
Rycyk, Athena M.; Deutsch, Charles J.; Barlas, Margaret E.; Hardy, Stacie K.; Frisch, Katherine; Leone, Erin H.; Nowacek, Douglas P.
(detail)
|
| |
|
2018 |
Manatee behavioral response to boats.
Mar. Mamm. Sci. 34(4): 924-962. 5 tabs. 15 figs. + suppl. information. doi:10.1111/mms.12491. Feb. 28, 2018.
–ABSTRACT: The long?term viability of the Florida manatee is threatened in part by mortality from boat collisions. This study investigated manatee behavior during boat approaches to better understand factors that lead to manatee–boat collisions. Digital acoustic recording tags (DTAGs) and Argos?linked GPS tags were deployed on 18 manatees in southwest Florida, and boat traffic around them was mapped. Suites of manatee behavioral, environmental, and boat?related factors were recorded during opportunistic boat passes. We built generalized linear mixed models to determine which factors accounted for variation in occurrence, number, and timing of manatee behavioral changes during boat passes. Manatees responded to boats, changing their orientation, depth, and fluking behavior most often when a boat approached closely (<10 m). Manatees were also more likely to change their depth when not on a seagrass bed and when actively fluking before a boat pass. Boat speed did not affect the occurrence or intensity of manatee response. Compared to fast approaches, however, slower passes allowed the manatee more time to respond, and behavioral change occurred earlier relative to the time of the boat's closest point of approach. We conclude that faster boats likely pose a greater risk of collision with manatees than do slower boats.
|
|
Bibliography and Index of the Sirenia and Desmostylia 