Mini: Magestic Manatees

Mini: Magestic Manatees

From Why We Do What We Do by Abraham

March 30, 2026 · 18 min

About this episode

This episode explores the behavior and cognition of manatees, highlighting their unique social and cognitive abilities despite their small brains.

Manatees are remarkable and gentle creatures. Possibly the source of mermaid stories of old, these strange aquatic mammals live life on the slow side. Some researchers have learned a lot about their behavior and cognition in recent experiments, so we are going to break down what we understand about manatee behavior and the conundrum of their complex cognitive and social repertoires with their proportionally small brains. Have you seen a manatee up close? Send us pictures! Join our supporters' club: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast Links and References: https://www.discovercrystalriverfl.com/manatee-authority/10-fun-facts-you-didnt-know-about-manatees/ https://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/10/manatees#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20study%20by%20Gordon%20Bauer%2C,150%20hertz%20using%20only%20their%20body%20hairs https://www.research.ufl.edu/publications/explore/v07n2/manatees.html#:~:text=To%20conclude%20from%20the%20manatee's,large%20clusters%20of%20nerve%20cells . https://mote.org/research/program/manatee-research/#:~:text=The%20MCRP's%20research%20includes:%20*%20**Unmanned%20Aerial,levels%20and%20long%2Dterm%20sublethal%20effects%20of%20stressors…

People in this episode

Host: Abraham

Topics covered

  • manatees
  • animal behavior
  • cognition
  • marine life
  • social behavior

Keywords

  • manatees
  • cognition
  • behavior
  • marine mammals
  • social behavior

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast, Discover Crystal River, American Psychological Association, University of Florida, Mote Marine Laboratory, Spreaker

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