{"product_id":"cartoon-elephants-star-forever-first-class-postage-stamps-copy","title":"Save Manatees Forever First Class Postage Stamps","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSave Manatees\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003estamp is being issued to create awareness about the threats posed to this beloved marine mammal. Human vigilance is crucial for the protection of the threatened West Indian manatee — both to minimize motorboat strikes and to maintain the aquatic plants on which it feeds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe gentle West Indian manatee inhabits warm inland waterways in Florida and warm areas of the coastal Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. The Florida manatee, present year-round in the state’s rivers and springs, is one of two subspecies of West Indian manatee\u003cem\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe stamp’s stylized artwork, predominantly aqua-colored, shows a manatee underwater, placidly lolling near the surface.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese slow-swimming marine mammals hungrily feed on shallow-water aquatic plants, eating up to 10 percent of their body weight each day. An adult West Indian manatee typically weighs about 1,000 to 1,500 pounds and is about eight to 11 feet long. Its prehensile lips and its sensitive, flexible whiskers help the manatee guide its leafy meals to its mouth. The manatee’s busy feeding schedule is interrupted by frequent underwater naps, during which the animal surfaces to breathe every 10 minutes or so — more often when actively swimming. Florida manatees thrive in water of 68°F or warmer. Their summer range reaches the coastal Carolinas — farther north on occasion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eManatees have no natural predators but are slow to reproduce. A female manatee gives birth to one offspring at a time, nursing for several months before the calf starts eating plants. A mother may tend to her young for up to about two years, communicating with touches, nuzzling “kisses” and sounds including chirps, squeaks, and squeals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWest Indian Manatee populations have rebounded from lows of only several hundred individuals in the 1970s. In 2017, its status under the Endangered Species Act was upgraded from endangered to threatened. Although thousands of West Indian Manatees exist today, surging numbers of die-offs have recently raised alarm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToxic algae blooms, worsened by pollution, kill seagrass. In recent years, this loss of manatees’ primary food resources has led to starvation. Collisions with fast-moving watercraft can also prove fatal; almost all grown manatees bear scars from boat propellers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis docile creature benefits from watercraft speed limits, refuge areas, and heightened awareness of manatee vulnerability. To help protect Florida’s official marine mammal, many residents purchase “Save the Manatee” license plates, raising funds for conservation and increasing awareness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArt director Derry Noyes designed the stamps with original digital art by Nancy Stahl.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003e\u003cspan\u003eForever stamp in booklets of 20. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"productDescription\" class=\"a-section a-spacing-small\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-list-item\"\u003eIssued 2024 but valid forever the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Mailboxes of Flushing","offers":[{"title":"5 Booklets of 20 (100 Stamps)","offer_id":49116189655350,"sku":"100 Manatees","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"15 Booklets of 20 (300 Stamps)","offer_id":49116189688118,"sku":"300 Manatees","price":65.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50 Booklets of 20 (1000 Stamps)","offer_id":49116189720886,"sku":"1000 Manatees","price":159.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0853\/6378\/6038\/files\/Manatees_eea827d2-006a-4af7-ad6d-c9bd525187f0.jpg?v=1717363747","url":"https:\/\/www.mailboxflushing.com\/products\/cartoon-elephants-star-forever-first-class-postage-stamps-copy","provider":"Mailboxes of Flushing","version":"1.0","type":"link"}