2. “I hope for your help to explore and protect the wild
ocean in ways that will restore the health and, in so
doing, secure hope for humankind.”
3. Manatees are the roly-poly
“teddy bears” of the sea.
They are also known as
sea cows, but despite this
nickname, they are more
closely related to
elephants.
4. These large, gray aquatic
herbivores have rotund bodies
that taper to a flat, paddle-
shaped tail, which propels
them through the water. Part of
the manatees’ charm is the
wrinkled face with whiskers
on its broad snout.
5. Did you know that there are three
living species of Manatees?
● Amazonian Manatee
● West Indian Manatee
● West African Manatee
6. Manatees eat a LOT of sea
grass. By doing so, they keep
the grass short, which helps
maintain the health of the sea
grass beds. While manatees
don't have any true natural
predators, they have still
become endangered.
8. Like elephants, a manatee’s molars wear
down and move forward and fall out, and are
replaced by new teeth coming in at the back
of the mouth.
Manatees are at home in the water—they
never come onto land. They swim along,
poking their nose above the water to catch a
breath every few minutes. Should they decide
to nap, they can stay underwater for 20
minutes without taking a breath!
9. Manatees stay in rivers, seas, and oceans
along the coast of several countries.
While most mammals—from giraffes to
cats—have seven neck vertebrae, only tree
sloths and manatees defy that rule. A
manatee has only six vertebrae in its neck.
The closest living relatives to the manatee are
the elephant and the hyrax. They diverged
from a common land mammal over 50
million years ago.
10. Overall, manatees appear slow moving and
cumbersome, but they are graceful and can be swift
underwater. Manatees usually travel at about 5 miles per
hour (8 kilometers per hour), but in a pinch they can pick
up the pace to 15 miles per hour (24 kilometers per hour).
Overall, manatees appear slow moving and
cumbersome, but they are graceful and can be swift
underwater. Manatees usually travel at about 5 miles per
hour (8 kilometers per hour), but in a pinch they can pick
up the pace to 15 miles per hour (24 kilometers per hour).
11. All manatees are endangered or
at a heightened risk of
extinction.
OCEAN DATA
12. “We know that when we protect our
oceans we’re protecting our future.”
-President Bill Clinton
