From today's Sosua Newa:
[h=5]The presence of large herds of manatees on the northern coast (near Playa Dorada) has caused great excitement among the local people. Large groups of residents of Puerto Plata, Montellano and Charamicos (and tourists) now watch the shoreline just to get a glimpse of the herd. The manatee or sea cow ((Trichechidae) lives in the salt water on the shores of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. The manatee, with a body length from 2.5 to 4 m can weight from 250 to 1500 kg. Besides humans the manatees have few natural enemies. Offshore larger sharks and killer whales sometimes catch a manatee. The food of manatees is largely vegetable and consists of seagrass, algae and other aquatic plants, and also leaves of mangrove trees if they can get to them. The manatees need about 90 kg of food every day and have to eat six to eight hours.[/h]
[h=5]The presence of large herds of manatees on the northern coast (near Playa Dorada) has caused great excitement among the local people. Large groups of residents of Puerto Plata, Montellano and Charamicos (and tourists) now watch the shoreline just to get a glimpse of the herd. The manatee or sea cow ((Trichechidae) lives in the salt water on the shores of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. The manatee, with a body length from 2.5 to 4 m can weight from 250 to 1500 kg. Besides humans the manatees have few natural enemies. Offshore larger sharks and killer whales sometimes catch a manatee. The food of manatees is largely vegetable and consists of seagrass, algae and other aquatic plants, and also leaves of mangrove trees if they can get to them. The manatees need about 90 kg of food every day and have to eat six to eight hours.[/h]
