Since early June, Mo has remained in the Lake Tarpon Canal located north of Safety Harbor in Tampa Bay.  He had been seen routinely with other manatees but we had not documented any feeding behavior until this week.  We did some "recon" work looking for vegetation and it was discovered there is a freshwater submerged vegetation sporadically along the bank of this canal.  Mangrove and Pepper Tree leaves are also available along the shoreline.  Mo was observed milling and feeding on/off during the visual observation on 7/6/06 and was bottom resting the following day near the same area.  He was by himself and unfortunately water clarity prevented us from getting an underwater look at his body condition.  From what we could see, his body condition appears normal and with lots of barnacle growth.  Freshwater is readily available from drain pipes (and of course the dam itself).  We will try and get a good underwater visual if possible over the next few weeks.  Just finding it "odd" that he moved so much last month and this month he has occupied such a small area.  But this area has animals moving in/out on a regular bases and is known as a calving area.  Mo and his females :)  Will keep you all posted. 

8/13/06  

Mo moved out of the Tampa Bay ’s Lake Tarpon canal towards the end of July into the Mobbly Bay and then into Double Branch Creek on 08/01/06 .  He was seen feeding on almost all of his visual observations after 07/07/06 .  His move into Double Branch Creek was surprising since the area is extremely shallow getting into the creek and we have never actually tracked any other animals into the creek before.  But once in the area, it became clear why a manatee would like this creek…lots of Halodule grasses at the mouth, cooler waters in the creek compared to the bay and lots of mangrove refuge from the wind.  Mo was also observed feeding and socializing with other manatees on a routine bases while in Lake Tarpon canal and now in Double Branch Creek. 

 

Mo was captured on 08/11/06 for his “final” health assessment, twelve months after his release.  He had been observed traveling and socializing with one other animal in Tampa Bay ’s Double Branch Creek during an earlier morning visual.  He was bottom resting with one other animal when the capture boat approached.  The two animals quickly separated and Mo was captured on the first net set. 

 

Blood, morphometrics, ultrasound, weight and fecal were obtained.  Dr. David Murphy Lowry Park Zoo gave Mo an overall condition of good, with a body score of 3.  He lost 5 lbs since his last health assessment on 04/1706 with an overall lost of 185 lbs since release on 08/09/05 .  His belly was nice and round, skin firm and no emaciated signs were apparent.  He did have a new small skeg scar on his back but very superficial and healing normally.  Blood values are currently pending. 

 

Straight body length was 280 cm (+ - 4 cm) with a weight of 850 lbs.  

Ultrasound readings showed decreases across the board and were considered below normal.  Peduncle and anus girth measurements had decreased and were considered below normal.

 

Even though Mo looked better than he did during his last capture, he still had some values which raised concerns for the upcoming winter.  The decision was made to keep him tagged through the upcoming winter to monitor his behavior and body condition.  Based on resources, we will bump down his visual frequency to once a week but will of course increase the frequency if any concerns arise.  Behaviorally, we have been pretty happy with what we have seen but were not completely comfortable with values obtained and thought it would be better to play things on the conservative side to learn more about these lean male’s adaptability.  Mo was outfitted with a new belt, tether and tag and re-released into Double Branch Creek.  He immediately swam back into a cove and began to bottom rest. 

 

10/19/06:

 

Mo has remained in the Double Branch Creek area since his capture on 8/11/06 .  The number of wild manatee sightings in the area has decreased over the past month but Mo’s feeding rate has increased.  Mo also has also taken several trips out of the creek into Mobbly Bay but he usually returns to the creek within a day’s time.  Now for a Mo story you are just going to love…or hate.  On 9/27/06 , FWC pathlab got a call about an entangled manatee which happened to be Mo.   The report was that the tag was tied to a tree. The complainant had pulled the rope out of the mangroves but couldn’t free the rope from the tag.  Katie Brill from FWC kayaked to the area and found one end of the 42 ft nylon rope tied to the large joiner of the tether.  Afterwards, looking at the GPS locations and Mo’s movement, Mo had moved to the area where he was “entangled” around 1030, the report came in at 1048.  He was freed by 1615 with no adverse effects.  He started swimming around again at 1645 according to GPS locations.  It seems as though he took that opportunity to rest and to not break his tether…thanks Mo.   And thank you to everyone that worked to set him free.  

 

11/11/06: