Wordly Wise Book 7 Lesson 10 Introduction

A manatee can weigh up to 3,000 pounds. It has been described as a 'ponderous mammal'. Ponderous most likely means 

• heavy and slow moving
• light and fast
• beautiful and graceful
• strange and unpredictable

Manatees enjoy eating water hyacinth and other 'aquatic plants'. Aquatic most likely means

• desert like
• water based
• ice covered
• unnatural

Manatees are friendly and docile by nature. Docile probably means

• well behaved
• aggressive
• mysterious
• unpredictable

Florida authorities must monitor the manatee population because they were once hunted for their skin and meat. Monitor means

• watch closely
• ignore
• avoid

The manatee population has dwindled over the years because of the increase of powerboats in Florida. Dwindled means

• decrease
• increase
• stay the same

Due to the decreasing population, Manatees are on the verge of extinction. Verge means

• far from
• close to
• in the middle of

Many speeding boaters are unaware that manatees are in the water and blithely continue on their way after hurting one of them. Blithely means

• carelessly
• indifferently
• carefully

It can be lethal if a manatee is hit with a high speed propeller from a motor boat. Lethal means 

• deadly
• nurturing
• forgiving
• non threatening

Ninety percent of all adult manatees have been mutilated by the propellers of speeding boats. Mutilated means

• rescued
• damaged
• barely scratched
• healed

Wildlife wardens think that manatees are not nimble enough to get out of the way of speeding boats. Nimble means 

• slow
• quick
• friendly
• angry