Manatee -- Trichechus manatus, nibbling at a clump of grass in a boat channel on Marco Island. Can consume 60-100 lbs of aquatic plants per day.
DYK: the word buccaneer comes from 'buccan,' a Mayan word for dried manatee meat. Pirates raiding Spanish treasure ships in the Caribbean relied on this food.Apple Murex -- Phyllonotus pomum, another carnivorous snail of shallow waters
'...I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.' ~ from "Sea-Fever" by John MasefieldNetted Sea Star -- Luidia clathrata
"You must respect life forms for themselves rather than for their human uses... Learning humility and empathy is not an easy task, especially in today's industrialized society... At best, we are taught to appreciate nature as though it were merely a scenic attraction and not the source of life itself. Contrast these values with those of the Native American ... who understood in his heart and soul that his own survival depended upon their continued well-being." ~ Tom Brown Jr. 'Toward a Deeper Awareness', 1983.Variegated Urchin -- Lytechinus variegatus, foraging over an exposed shoal during low tide.
'Let us be just with life. Although it bear
A thousand thorns for every perfect rose,
And though the happy day have mournful close,
Slumber awaits to house the mind from care.' ~ George Sterling, "The Balance"