Dolphin Swimming

Baby Manatee Born at Dolphin Discovery Riviera Maya

// September 13th, 2010 // View Comments // Locations, Riviera Maya, Sea Life

Baby Manatee Born September 9, 2010 at Dolphin Discovery

Dolphin Discovery is pleased to announce the newest addition to our Riviera Maya family, a beautiful bouncing baby boy manatee!  On Thursday September 9th at 1:00 pm, Julieta gave birth to a male measuring 1.2 meters long, the third calf born to our lovely matriarch.  Immediately after giving birth, Julieta helped the little one to reach the surface to take his first breath and introduced herself as “mom” with physical, visual and auditory contact with the calf.  He is feeding well and adjusting to his new life in Puerto Aventuras.  Julieta is a great mama, keeping a close eye on her newborn, with her experience as a mother we are sure that this lovely new creature will continue to grow and thrive.

Baby Manatee with Mom Julieta at Dolphin Discovery

The reproductive rate of manatees is generally very low.  Females do not reach sexual maturity until the age of 5, males at the age of 9.  Gestation lasts for one year and calves nurse from their moms for about a year and will be reliant on them for up to two years.  Females give birth to one pup at a time and may wait 2-5 years before reproducing again.  Male manatees do not get involved in raising their young, it is the sole responsibility of the mothers.

This is an exciting event for Dolphin Discovery, another success in our breeding program and it’s extra special as manatees are an endangered species.  This new baby gives us an opportunity to continue to learn and gather information and allows our team to explore alternatives and solutions to the problems facing manatees in the wild.  We would like to offer our congratulations not only to Julieta, but to our dedicated team of veterinarians, biologists and trainers.  Welcome to the world little boy!

New Programs! Swim with dolphins, manatees and sea lions in the Riviera Maya

// April 12th, 2010 // View Comments // Locations, Riviera Maya, Sea Life

At Dolphin Discovery we love all the creatures of the sea, not just dolphins!  We are excited to be able to share these magical creatures with you, our guests, you’ll learn about marine animals and enjoy some special moments with some very different friends from the sea .  For those of you looking for a new experience and to learn something new, we’ve created the Sea Life Circle programs in the Riviera Maya.

Sea Lion Hug Puerto Aventuras

Sea Life Circle Sea Lions brings you up close and personal with the fabulous, funny jokers of the sea.  You’ll be able to touch and kiss the sea lions and they’ll make you laugh until your sides hurt with their crazy antics.  Sea Life Circle also includes the most popular dolphin swim at Dolphin Discovery, the adrenaline-filled Dolphin Royal Swim.  In addition, you’ll be able to visit the underwater world as you snorkel with stingrays, a complete package of marine animal fun!

Sea Life Circle Manatees includes the Dolphin Royal Swim, snorkeling with stingrays and the opportunity to swim with the gentle giants of the sea, the manatees.  Manatees, often known as sea cows are huge herbivores and you’ll be invited to feed them, swim with them and stroke the animals that sailors often mistook for mermaids. Learn something new and make a new friend!

Dolphin Discovery is thrilled to be able to give you the chance not only to have an exciting adventure, but to learn something new and create awareness of our marine animal friends.  Visit our location in Puerto Aventuras to meet the dolphins, sea lions, manatees and stingrays and have the experience of a lifetime!

Swim With Manatees in Cozumel

// December 10th, 2009 // View Comments // Cozumel, Locations, News

It’s a mermaid!  It’s a walrus!  No, it’s a manatee, the slow and graceful elephant of the sea.  Once thought by sailors to be mermaids, these gentle giants can grow as long as 13ft/4m and weigh up to 1300 lbs/600 kgs!  These graceful swimmers usually move pretty slowly, but can manage speeds up to 15 mph/24 kmh in short bursts.  Much like dolphins, manatees are mammals and need to come to the surface of the water every 3 or 4 minutes to breathe fresh air.  Manatees are herbivores, eating as much as one tenth of their body weight in sea plants on a daily basis, the equivalent of 200 heads of lettuce.  Sometimes referred to as sea cows, the manatee has no natural enemy and is a peaceful creature.  Unfortunately because they move so slowly, they often can not get out of the way of fast moving boats and can suffer injuries from propellers. Manatees are generally solitary creatures, only seeking company when they are looking to breed.  Calves are born underwater and pushed to the surface by their mother for air.  They weigh about 70 lbs/30 kg at birth and can often swim on their own within an hour of entering the world.  Baby manatees stay with their mothers for up to two and a half years, learning to eat sea plants after a few months but continuing to drink their mother’s milk.  Manatees communicate with clicks and chirping sounds and can be heard “squealing” when at play.

Dolphin Discovery offers you a unique opportunity to swim with these incredible creatures in our Cozumel facility.  We offer the only swim with manatees program in the Caribbean, a once in a lifetime chance to get up close and personal with a manatee, share a kiss and even feed them their lunch.  Manatees are an endangered species and are in need of protection and the help of humans to survive. Dolphin Discovery is proud to have expert veterinarians onsite to provide the utmost care to these special beings, performing rescues and managing a breeding program to ensure the continuation of the species.  Book your Manatee Encounter program in Cozumel now to create memories of a lifetime.

All About Manatees

// April 28th, 2009 // View 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