] Researchers believe manatee voices could help them ] develop a visual warning system that would reduce the ] number of sea cows killed and injured by boats. ] ] Deke Beusse, a University of Florida veterinarian who ] heads the Marine Mammal Medicine Program, has performed ] experiments using hydrophones underwater listening ] devices at Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park ] in Citrus County. ] ] The research was prompted by the soaring number of ] boat-related deaths, which reached a record 95 last year. ] ] "We thought if we could pick up the sounds of manatees, ] we could warn boaters of their presence," Beusse said. ] "When we played it back, they started vocalizing more ] %u2014 three times as much as normal and ] approached the speakers." ] ] Beusse hopes that in the wild, speakers can be placed in ] channels, where they would prompt and intensify manatee ] vocalizations. ] ] "The sounds would send a signal to a beacon that would ] begin flashing, letting boaters know they're there," he ] said. "Boaters wouldn't have to put anything on their ] boats." Research aims to save manatees using tech |