Dolphin Swimming

All About Manatees

// April 28th, 2009 // No Comments » // Cancun / Isla Mujeres, Riviera Maya, Sea Life

Feed manatees at Puerto Aventuras, México

Manatees are part of Sirenia (meaning “mermaid”) family formed by these marine mammals that are mainly identified for being vegetarians with a diet of 60 different types of plants as waterweed and mangle leafs. The word “manatee”, of Latin origins means “with breasts”, that comes from the action of breastfeeding their calves.

There are three main types of manatees: the West Indian Manatee that lives in the shallow waters of rivers and coasts of the Caribbean Sea and Mexican Golf, the Amazonian Manatee that lives in the Amazon, and finally the West African Manatee that lives in the coastal waters of America and Africa.

They are 3 to 4.5 meters long, and 300-500 kg. They have a trowel shaped tail (different from dugongs), two pectoral fins with nails, a big body, a gray-brownish skin; they breath through nostrils as the seals, and have some funny whiskers on their snout.

Females can have one calf every 2 or 5 years, which weights about 35 kg. and is 90-120 cm long. Mothers breastfeed their babies at least for 2 years until they are strong enough to grind and find their own food. 4-year old manatees are considered adults and they live up to 80 years.

Swim with Manatees!

You can enjoy this amazing activity in the Sea Life Discovery Plus Program in Dolphin Discovery Cancún-Isla Mujeres and Dolphin Discovery Riviera Maya

All about Sea Lions

// April 23rd, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Sea Life

Sea Lion in Puerto Aventuras, Cancún México

The sea lions are part of the pinnipeds family, carnivourous mammals adapted to sea life. They live in the South American coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They are divided into three families, the Otariinae (sea lions and fur seals), Phocidae (earless seals) and Odobenidae (walruses).

Their diet consists of fish, squid, penguin and other marine birds. In the circle of life, they are part of the killer whale and shark diet. They eat between 15 and 25 kgs of food per day. Males can weight up to 300 kg (double than females) and can be up to 2.5 meters long. They live in groups of 15, normally formed by one male and its harem.

Young males are black and adults are dark brownish with a red-fur layer on their neck giving them their name of “lion”.

The three main differences between sea lions and seals are:

· Sea lions have external ears, seals have only fur-covered internal ears behind their snout.

· Sea lions have nails on their back fins to scratch themselves, seals don’t have any.

· Sea lions stand on their back fins to walk, seals crawl or roll.

Swim with Sea Lions!

You can enjoy this amazing activity in the Sea Life Discovery Plus Program in Dolphin Discovery Cancún-Isla Mujeres and Dolphin Discovery Riviera Maya; and in the Sea Lion Discovery Program in Sea Life Park Vallarta.