{"id":24118,"date":"2024-07-11T10:00:11","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T10:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/blog\/?p=24118"},"modified":"2024-07-11T13:50:47","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T13:50:47","slug":"florida-specialty-plate-spotlight-series-save-the-manatee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/blog\/florida-specialty-plate-spotlight-series-save-the-manatee\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Specialty Plate Spotlight Series: Save the Manatee"},"content":{"rendered":"

The thing about our Florida Specialty Plate Spotlight Series is that each plate we feature is so good and supports such a good cause (or causes), we often wonder which we\u2019d choose if forced to choose.\u00a0 Luckily, no one\u2019s making us walk the plank over this, so we can continue highlighting some of the state\u2019s best tags and the charities they represent without picking favorites.\u00a0 Really, they are all our favorites.<\/p>\n

Whew, okay, now that that\u2019s out of the way, we can move on to this week\u2019s feature\u2026and it\u2019s a good one. (Aren\u2019t they all?!)\u00a0 And if the beneficiary of this week\u2019s Specialty Plate doesn\u2019t move you to immediately hop onto eTags.com and order it ASAP, we don\u2019t know what will.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Florida Specialty Plate is Save the Manatees.\u00a0 And come on, look at that face.\u00a0 Look at that cuteness.\u00a0 These gentle giants, also known as sea cows, are most closely related to the elephant, and may have evolved from those magnificent land beasts.<\/p>\n

\"Save<\/p>\n

The United States manatee population is concentrated mostly in Florida, hence the state\u2019s drive to help protect and preserve these beautiful creatures. Florida\u2019s manatee species are called West Indian Manatees, and occupy the shallows of slow-moving rivers, estuaries, saltwater bays, canals, and coastal spots. They especially enjoy hanging out where freshwater plants and seagrass beds grow naturally, as their diet is mainly vegetarian, apart from any tiny critters that accidentally get swallowed during feeding time.<\/p>\n

What really grabs our hearts about these animals is their temperament.<\/p>\n

Manatees are known to be docile mammals, rarely in a rush to go anywhere or do anything.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Because they breathe air, they will surface anywhere from every three to five minutes to gulp in some oxygen. At deep rest, however, manatees can remain submerged for up to twenty minutes before surfacing. In general, their lives are mostly spent at ease: resting, eating, and traveling when the need arrives. Reaching their top speed of 20mph is a rare thing; true to their easy nature, they prefer meandering about in the water at around three to five miles per hour.<\/p>\n

\"Manatee<\/p>\n

The thing is (there is always a thing), manatees are at high risk for extinction. In fact, one branch of the species \u2013 the Steller\u2019s Sea Cow \u2013 was hunted into obsoletion in the 1700\u2019s, less than thirty years after its discovery.\u00a0 While the manatees of Florida have thankfully not met that peril yet, they do face pretty dire obstacles such as:<\/p>\n