The Manatee Scientists: Saving Vulnerable Species

by Peter Lourie

Overview

Manatees are docile, large sea mammals who are eaten in some parts of the world, feared in others, and adored in still others.  But human encroachment, disease, environmental hazards, and being hunted, among many other issues, are causing their numbers to decline. In Manatee Scientists, readers meet three scientists working very hard in three different parts of the world to save the manatee. Get an eye-opening, close-up view of their far-flung expeditions to Brazil, Senegal, and Florida in this beautifully photographed addition to the paperback collection of Scientist in the Field books. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544225299
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/03/2016
Series:	Scientists in the Field Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	876,429
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	NC1210L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

Peter Lourie is an author and photographer. He has published more than twenty books for young readers. He lives with his family in Vermont.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"It lives up to the standards set by others in this stellar series."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This is a living, breathing window into the watery world of manatee studies, with eager scientists pursuing the preservation of stressed sirenian populations with determination and grit."—School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

"It lives up to the standards set by others in this stellar series."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review "This is a living, breathing window into the watery world of manatee studies, with eager scientists pursuing the preservation of stressed sirenian populations with determination and grit."—School Library Journal —

From the Publisher

Gr 5–8—Lourie's readable text follows the efforts of research scientists in Brazil, West Africa, and Florida as they attempt to determine the habits, habitats, and behaviors of three large sirenians, two of whom live in very remote and often primitive areas. The fieldwork on West African and Amazonian manatees is complicated by the very murky water in which they live (Floridian manatees get pellucid aquamarine waters but more propeller slashes) and is further complicated by the fact they are hunted for food to supplement inadequate diets in isolated areas. The African studies are compounded by a variety of national political issues and some social unrest. Lourie's lucid reportage is accompanied by clear color photos of the scientists at work in drowned rain forests, crystalline springs, muddy rivers blocked by dams, in the lab, and from the air. Quotes are imbedded as well, with Lucy Keith remarking patiently, "You have to really like challenges to do research in Africa," and Fernando Rosas in Brazil explaining why local people love manatee meat. "They eat fish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so any change in this diet is welcome." This is a living, breathing window into the watery world of manatee studies, with eager scientists pursuing the preservation of stressed sirenian populations with determination and grit.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

This latest addition to an always-intriguing series describes the work of Fernando Rosas, John Reynolds and Lucy Keith studying manatees in different parts of the world.Gentle, slow-moving vegetarians, these curious aquatic mammals are distant relatives of elephants and live in the Amazon, in Florida and nearby ocean waters and in West African rivers. The three different but similar species are all listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as extremely vulnerable to extinction. Florida's protected manatees are a tourist attraction, easy to see in the clear waters of the Crystal River and in discharge zones of power plants, where they congregate for warmth in cold spells. The more mysterious manatees of Brazil and West Africa lurk in murky rivers and are sometimes killed and eaten. These three researchers track the animals in different ways, use biological techniques to learn more about their lives, work with people of the area toward protection and even, in Brazil, experiment with returning some to the wild from captivity. Like other books in this series, this is distinguished by clear, realistic explanations of scientific fieldwork and well-reproduced photographs, many taken by the author. The text, on the advanced side for the intended audience, is broken up by captioned photos, some mounted as snapshots. Overall, it lives up to the standards set by others in this stellar series. (maps, resources, glossary, author's note, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews