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The Manatee (West Indian manatee, Trichechus manatus)

Fun Facts

• They are about 4-4.5 feet long when they are born and average 60-70 pounds (27-32 kg).
• They can hold their breath for up to 20 minutes though they normally breathe every few minutes.
• They move so slow that algae sometimes grow on the manatee, which actually helps protect them from the sun.
• Manatees have no "biting" teeth, only "grinding" teeth.
• The manatee is a federally listed endangered species.
• Full-grown manatees weigh between 800 to 1,200 pounds (360-545 kg) and reach 10 feet (3.0 m) in length.
• They can grow to be as large as 3,500 pounds (1590 kg) and 13 feet (4.0 m) in length.
• They need access to freshwater to survive.

Food
Manatees are herbivores, which means they eat plants. Also known as a "sea cow," manatees usually spend up to eight hours a day grazing on seagrasses and other aquatic plants. They eat aquatic plants including, Hydrilla, Spartina, and Water-hyacinths. A manatee can consume up to 10 percent of its body weight in aquatic vegetation daily. The manatee uses its muscular lips to tear plants much like an elephant uses its trunk.

Breathing
Manatees are mammals. They must surface approximately every five minutes to breathe, but can hold their breath for as long as twenty minutes when resting. The manatee's nose is usually the only part of its body that comes out of the water when it breathes.

Distribution
Manatees can be found in shallow, slow-moving rivers, estuaries, saltwater bays, canals and coastal areas. Manatees are a migratory species. Within the United States, West Indian manatees are concentrated in Florida in the winter, but they can be found in summer months as far west as Texas and as far north as Virginia. However, these sightings are rare. Summer sightings in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina are common. West Indian manatees can also be found in the coastal and inland waterways of Central America and along the northern coast of South America, although distribution in these areas may be spotty.