What Can You Find in the Gulf of Mexico?


By Caitlin Gumiela



Hi, My name is Max!

I am hanging out with my Uncle Joe. We live in Tampa, Florida so my uncle is taking me to Clearwater Beach for my first time. 



Uncle Joe said you can see Bottlenose Dolphins. As we walked onto the beach with my very eyes we saw a fin.  “There! That is a Bottlenose Dolphin!” said Uncle Joe. Bottlenose Dolphins measure between six and twelve feet and have an excellent sense of hearing. They eat fish and squid and they do not use their teeth to chew.



I got really hot so I asked my uncle to take me into the water. He told me I needed to stingray shuffle. “What is a stingray shuffle Uncle Joe?” He told me that Atlantic Stingrays live here. They stay close on the surface and have tail that is poisonous and sharp. The Atlantic Stingray uses their tail for defense. You have to shuffle your feet because it will hurt a lot if you step on one. 


As we were eating lunch my uncle told me a story about when he went kayaking. He said he saw a shadow swim under him and got scared. I asked “what was it?” He told me it was a West Indian Manatee, a very friendly animal, but very big. When they are born they are between three and four feet long! Manatees can reach up to thirteen feet long and can weigh 1,300 pounds!



Who knew there were so many creatures that share our ocean!

Thanks Uncle Joe for teaching me about all these cool facts! I can’t wait to visit the Gulf of Mexico to see these animals again. 



References

Bottlenose Dolphin. (2014, March 26). Retrieved March 24, 2017,   from   http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bottlenose-dolphin/#bottlenose-dolphin-jumping.jpg

Bull Shark. (2014, March 01). Retrieved March 24, 2017, from   http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bull-shark/#bull-shark-swimming-ocean-floor1.jpg

Horseshoe Crab. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2017, from https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-  Library/Invertebrates/Horseshoe-Crab.aspx

Stingray. (2014, March 01). Retrieved March 24, 2017, from   http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/stingray/#stingray-swimming-closeup.jpg

West Indian Manatee. (2014, March 01). Retrieved March 24, 2017, from   http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/west-indian-manatee/#west-indian-  manatee-group.jpg

Illustrations: Clipart & Google Images