What Are Manatees?

A manatee is a large, gray, aquatic animal. It is related to the elephant. Often called a "gentle giant," they are slow-moving creatures. In fact, they move so slowly that they often have algae growing on their backs. Manatees, sometimes called "sea cows," are endangered, but steps are being taken to save them. Species of manatees include Amazonian, West Indian and West African. The manatees found in the waters off the coast of the United States (most commonly Florida) are West Indian manatees.

  1. Description

    • Manatees are mammals. Adult manatees typically grow to be 10 to 12 feet long and weigh half a ton or more. They have two flippers toward the front of their bodies, and a long, flat tail. Their small eyes and tiny openings for their ears give them a good sense of sight and hearing. Their gray skin is wrinkled and they have whiskers on their faces. They have a snout-type nose that allows them to breath above the water, but closes to keep water out when submerged.

    Diet

    • Even though manatees are gigantic animals, they're herbivores. Their size causes them to have to eat often. They need to consume approximately 10 percent of their body weight every day. There are more than 60 varieties of freshwater and marine plants that manatees eat, including sea grass, water lettuce, turtle grass and water hyacinth.

    Habitat

    • Manatees live in warm water and prefer it to be shallow. In the United States, they're found primarily off the coast of Florida, although sometimes they travel a little farther north in the winter. Outside the United States, manatees can be found in the Amazon River, in the waters of Central America and South America and the coastal areas of Western Africa.

    Lifespan

    • Manatees can live 60 years or longer. They have no natural enemies. The biggest threat to the manatee is man. Because they live in shallow water, many manatees have scars from boating accidents. They are protected under federal law. Other threats to manatees include cold water, pneumonia and other diseases.

    Manatee Rescue

    • Every year, numerous manatees are injured by boat propellers, caught in fishing lines, hurt in flood control gates or wounded in other ways. It is estimated that only 2,500 manatees still exist in the wild. There are several manatee rescue operations in existence. One of the best known is run out of SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. The wounded manatees are nursed back to health in a 215,000-gallon tank. While they're healing, SeaWorld guests can view them and learn more about the magnificent creatures. Once the manatees have fully recovered, SeaWorld returns them to the wild.