1. + “How Endangered a Species?” By Andrew Revkin

2. + Today there are very few manatees left on our planet and they are considered to be an endangered species. The article claims that in recent years in Florida the number of deaths of manatees has increased. Despite many precautions taken by the state, manatees continue dying from boat accidents.

3. + Hypothesis and Variables Increased number of boats is contributing to the increased number of manatees killed. Explanatory variable: the number of registered boats Response variable: the number of manatees killed by boats

4. + Data Collection Data about the number of registered boats was collected from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Whereas, data about the numbers of manatee deaths was gotten from the Florida Marine Research Institute.

5. + At a glance: Registered Boats and Manatee Deaths. Number of Registered BoatsNumber of Manatee Deaths

6. + Long term trends of the number of registered boats and the number of manatee deaths from boats. As one variable increases, does the other seem to increase or decrease?

7. + Results Correlating coefficient was calculated to be: r = 0.922 We conclude that there is a significant linear correlation between the number of registered boats and the number of manatee deaths from boats. But we cannot conclude that more registered boats CAUSE more manatee deaths. There could be other reasons for manatee deaths such warmer temperatures Regression equation is: y = -113 + 2.27x The above regression equation is useful in predicting the number of manatee deaths based on the number of registered boats.

8. + Since the regression line fits the data well, regression equation could be used for future predictions.

9. + Question for farther exploration: Should more regulations be imposed on boats to save manatees?