Meet Elsie
She roams quite a distance along Florida’s West Coast
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| In the winter, Elsie has been known to visit the warm water discharge areas at power plants in Tampa Bay and Ft. Myers. (Photo credit: FWC, Megan J. Martz) |
One look at Elsie’s tail, and you immediately know why she goes by the nickname of “Fingers.” Her tail has been so badly mutilated from an encounter with a boat propeller, it resembles the fingers on a human hand. Sadly, Elsie’s disfigured tail makes it easy for researchers to identify her and track her movements.
Biologists identify individual manatees by their scars. They observe manatees and take photos of them or make sketches of their scar patterns when the manatees are gathered at warm water sources in the winter and at various areas they frequent in the summer. This information then goes into a computerized database that is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey's Sirenia Project in cooperation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
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| Manatee researchers identify Elsie by her disfigured tail and the two large, white scars on her back. (Photo credits: top - FWC, Megan J. Martz; bottom - FWC, Jennifer M. Johnson) |
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By observing an individual manatee over the course of time, researchers can learn many things about migration, travel, important habitat and other behavioral factors, as well as determining life history aspects such as population trends. All of this information enables researchers to understand manatees better and is vital in helping to protect them.
One thing we know about Elsie from research data is that she is a traveler. First identified in January 1983 near Ft. Myers, she roams quite a distance along Florida’s west coast. Elsie has been a winter visitor to the warm water discharge areas at both Tampa Electric Company’s (TECO) Big Bend power plant and at Manatee Park, which is located in Ft. Myers near the Florida Power and Light (FPL) plant.
Elsie seems to like variety, because she can often be found at different locations. For example, one recent year she was sighted in October in a canal on the east side of Old Tampa Bay. Then she was spotted in November at the Progress Energy plant in St. Petersburg. In December, Elsie made her way across the bay to the TECO Big Bend Power Plant in Apollo Beach. She then traveled south to Ft. Myers where she was sighted several times at Manatee Park between January and March. While visiting Tampa Bay, Elsie can be found with other Tampa Bay adoptees Vector and Flicker, and she hangs out with Ginger while in Ft. Myers.
 Give a Great Gift!
The holidays are right around the corner, and if you’re looking for a unique gift for family or friends, why not adopt Elsie or one of 29 other manatees in Save the Manatee Club’s Adopt-A-Manatee program?
Proceeds go toward manatee conservation efforts. Plus, if you adopt at $35 or more, your gift recipient will receive a free 2012 manatee wall calendar. Now that’s a great gift! Go>> |
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Another thing we know about Elsie is that she is a manatee mom, because she has been observed several times with calves over the years. Elsie has had three calves that we know of. And she must be teaching her calves to travel as well. On one occasion, Elsie and her calf made a trip from Tampa to Ft. Myers in just 23 days. That’s a distance of 110 miles!
The last couple of winters have featured some record-breaking cold weather in Florida, and many manatees did not survive the harsh temperatures. The colder than normal conditions may have caused Elsie to limit her travels. She hunkered down in Tampa Bay and was only observed at TECO, seeking relief from the cold weather at the power plant’s warm water discharge area in December, January, and February of last year. Still, we were glad to hear that she had survived the chilly winter temps, and we look forward to learning about her latest adventure when manatee season begins.
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| On one occasion, Elsie and her calf made a trip from Tampa to Ft. Myers in just 23 days. That’s a distance of 110 miles!
(Photo credit: FWC, Jennifer M. Johnson) |
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