A native of the Caribbean and the Atlantic from Florida to Brazil, the West Indian manatee has long been slaughtered for its meat and hide. In Florida motorboats now take an increasing toll.

—Text adapted from "A Personal Vision of Vanishing Wildlife," April 1990, National Geographic magazine.

(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in "Unlocking the Labyrinth of North Florida Springs," March 1999, National Geographic magazine)