In less than 27 years, sea cows in Alaska and Russia were hunted to extinction. Long ago sailors, perhaps a bit lonely on those long ocean voyages, would let their imaginations wander in search of beautiful creatures that were half woman and half fish. Originally, stories of mermaids are thought to have come from sailors who saw manatees or their close cousins, dugongs, disappearing beneath the waves or into a foggy mist. When Christopher Columbus saw his first manatee in 1493, he said that they were perhaps not quite as beautiful as the mermaids he'd seen in European paintings. While manatees have suffered like many animals from loss of habitat and overhunting, one of the biggest threats to them today is being hit by speeding motor boats.
Manatees like to bask in warm water just under the surface, and they are slow swimmers.
They can be almost impossible to see, unless a boat goes slowly. When a power boat hits a manatee, the propellers often cut it badly. Many manatees have died from these injuries. As more and more people use boats where manatees live, it becomes very important to slow down and keep a sharp lookout for these gentle creatures.