Nature

The more typical outcome of manatee-boat encounters is a widely reported, sad story. In fact, boats are the primary cause of death among the gravely endangered species, and scarring patterns on survivors are scientists’ primary method for identifying individuals (including Chessie). Some manatees have as many as 50 scars. Why don’t they just get out of the way of boats and jet skis? Not because they are stupid—a recent study shows that manatees are, simply, hard of hearing: The sound frequencies typical of boats and jet skis do not register until it is too late. Manatees cruise along at three to five miles an hour a couple of feet below the water’s surface, surfacing every few minutes to breathe. They’re perfectly adapted for their slow lifestyle. They’re not adapted for the powerboat.

In early 2010, the manatee population numbered around 5,000, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife—but the winter’s bitter cold killed off about 10 percent of them. Now there is the Deep Water Horizon spill and all its unknowns. Near Virginia Living’s press time, a CNN report detailed plans for an unprecedented large-scale rescue of manatees, should the need arise.

Chessie? You out there?