Research With the University of Florida
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission partners with the University of Florida Manatee Research Group to investigate the basic biology of manatees and other sirenians.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has partnered with the University of Florida Manatee Research Group to investigate the anatomy of the Florida manatee at FWC’s Marine Mammal Pathobiology Laboratory (MMPL).
This partnership was formed between the two agencies allowing MMPL to have a visiting veterinarian representing the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine’s Aquatic Animal Medicine department. The veterinarian is based full-time at MMPL, rotating annually. While stationed at the lab, the veterinarian participates in manatee necropsies, giving a veterinary opinion when determining the cause of death of each animal. They assist with research conducted at the lab and may perform their own research projects. Additionally, the veterinarian participates in captures and rescues of injured manatees and organizes tissue sample requests for ongoing projects with other agencies.
For your convenience, the image links to the University of Florida Manatee Research Group Web pages http://marinemammal.vetmed.ufl.edu/
