Manatee of the Month: Paddy Doyle
The Only Manatee for St. Patrick's Day
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| Paddy Doyle, named in honor of the "fighting Irish," is one of the feistiest manatees in the Blue Spring population. (Photo © Walker Stanberry) |
Manatees are generally thought of as passive animals, but there are exceptions to every rule, and Paddy Doyle is one such exception.
One of the feistiest manatees in the Blue Spring population, our lad Paddy is quite a combatant. He was chosen by researchers to be monitored in the manatee tracking program for three years, but each time he was captured, it turned into a major event. He resisted so vigorously, he was christened Paddy Doyle in honor of the “fighting Irish.”
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A manatee wearing a "tag," or satellite
tracking device. (Photo courtesy of the U.S.
Geological Survey, Florida Integrated
Science Center, Sirenia Project)
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Paddy (above) wore a tracking device, but he
apparently wasn't happy about it.
(Photo © Walker Stanberry)
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Researchers tracked Paddy Doyle by using a satellite tracking device. The device, or "tag," is a transmitter encased in a floating tube. The tag assembly consists of a belt that fits around the base of the manatee's tail, and about a one-meter (four-foot) long, flexible nylon tether that is attached to the tracking device. The tag assembly doesn’t harm the manatee or affect freedom of movement, and it is designed with a "weak link" so it will break loose if it becomes entangled in vegetation or debris. Radio signals sent from the transmitter are received by polar orbiting satellites and analyzed to yield accurate location data on the manatee.
Paddy travels in the St. Johns River system, which begins in Central Florida and flows backward – south to north -- approximately 310 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Blue Spring manatee subpopulation, Paddy was first identified in 1971. He’s an old timer and has been a regular winter visitor to Blue Spring State Park for over 30 years. But he’s been known to pop in for a summer visit as well.
Paddy Doyle does a pretty good job showing at manatee “roll call,” on most winter mornings, although Ranger Wayne Hartley says that sometimes Paddy likes to show up at the very end of roll call or just after. He always manages to spot him, though. Paddy Doyle is easily identified because of the distinctive scars on his back and tail. A social guy, he is often seen in the company of other manatees and has been known to pay particular attention to Phyllis, another Blue Spring visitor.
Each day, there are numerous dangers manatees face in the wild, but Paddy Doyle has proven he’s a pretty tough guy. We hope he'll continue to duke it out for many, many more years.
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| Paddy Doyle is easily identified because of the distinctive scars on his back. (Photo courtesy of FDEP) |
A social guy, Paddy (top) is often seen in the company of other manatees. (Photo © Walker Stanberry) |
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