Waldron, John C.

1 publication

Powell, James Arthur, Jr.; Waldron, John C. (detail)
1981The manatee population in Blue Spring, Volusia County, Florida. In: R. L. Brownell, Jr., & K. Ralls (eds.), The West Indian manatee in Florida. Proceedings of a workshop held in Orlando, Florida 27-29 March 1978 (q.v.).
Tallahassee, Florida Dept. Nat. Res. (iv + 154): 41-51. 4 tabs. 5 figs.
—Describes manatees' use of Blue Spring as a warm-water winter refugium, based on observations from 1971 to 1978, including number of manatees present as a function of temperature, daily attendance of known individuals, population composition, number of known individuals resighted in successive years, reproductive data, feeding behavior, distribution in the St. Johns River south of Lake George, and existing protective measures. A preponderance of males in the upper St. Johns River is documented, and calving intervals of 3 and 4 years are reported for one female. The primary local food source appears to be Eichhornia, though Vallisneria is preferred.