Chapter 20Joan
I’d called the Manatee society and talked to a nice young girl who was happy to answer all my questions. She was impressed that I was asking questions different from her average caller.
I asked her who the matriarch of that aggregation was. First, she was surprised that I knew a group of manatees was called an aggregation. Then she was even more impressed that I knew it was a matriarchal society. She gave me the name Silwan, number 843.
“Does she live right there in Crystal River?”
“For the most part, she stays just outside Crystal River around the islands just past the delta. But she’s around here a lot of the time. Some younger ones follow her everywhere.”
“She must be very popular in the aggregation.”
“Yes, they seem to love her. She attracts quite a few.”
“Are mos
