Manatees are large, slow-moving aquatic mammals that inhabit coastal waters and rivers. They can grow up to 13 feet long and weigh over 1,300 pounds. Despite their massive size, manatees are graceful swimmers that typically glide at 5 miles per hour but can burst up to 15 miles per hour. Manatees give birth underwater and mothers help their calves reach the surface for their first breath. Manatees are herbivores that consume large amounts of water plants. They are classified as endangered due to hunting and accidental collisions with boats.

1. Manatee Fact Sheet:
Manatees are sometimes called sea cows, and their languid pace lends
merit to the comparison. However, despite their massive bulk, they are
graceful swimmers in coastal waters and rivers. Powering themselves
with their strong tails, manatees typically glide along at 5 miles (8
kilometers) an hour but can swim 15 miles (24 kilometers) an hour in
short bursts.
Manatees are usually seen alone, in pairs, or in small groups of a half dozen or fewer animals. From above the
water's surface, the animal's nose and nostrils are often the only thing visible. Manatees never leave the water but,
like all marine mammals, they must breathe air at the surface. A resting manatee can remain submerged for up to 15
minutes, but while swimming, it must surface every three or four minutes.
There are three species of manatee, distinguished primarily by where they live. One manatee population ranges
along the North American east coast from Florida to Brazil. Other species inhabit the Amazon River and the west
coast and rivers of Africa.
Manatees are born underwater. Mothers must help their calves to the surface so that they can take their first breath,
but the infants can typically swim on their own only an hour later.
Manatee calves drink their mothers' milk, but adults are voracious grazers. They eat water grasses, weeds, and
algae—and lots of them. A manatee can eat a tenth of its own massive weight in just 24 hours.
Manatees are large, slow-moving animals that frequent coastal waters and rivers. These attributes make them
vulnerable to hunters seeking their hides, oil, and bones. Manatee numbers declined throughout the last century,
mostly because of hunting pressure. Today, manatees are endangered. Though protected by laws, they still face
threats. The gentle beasts are often accidentally hit by motorboats in ever more crowded waters, and sometimes
become entangled in fishing nets.
Map
Fast Facts
Type:
Mammal
Diet:
Herbivore
Average life span in the wild:
40 years
Manatee Range Size:
8 to 13 ft (2.4 to 4 m)
Weight:
440 to 1,300 lbs (200 to 600 kg)
Protection status:
Endangered
Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:

2. Discussion:
Describe the similarities and differences between the Dugong and Manatee using the fact
sheets and photos.
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3. Draw sketches of a Manatee and Dugong:
(Be sure to label each animal)