Manatees

Animal's Body: size, color, type of covering and special body parts.

Adult manatees are 10 feet long. They weigh between 1,500 and 2,200 pounds.

Manatees can be gray to brown.

Manatees have thick skin.

Manatees have front flippers and fins to help them move through water.

 

Animal's Habitat: location in the world they live, type of habitat, and type of home.

Manatees are found in the South United States, Caribbean Islands, Eastern Mexico, Central America and in the northern coast and rivers of South America.

Manatees live in shallow ocean and fresh waters.

They like waters warmer than 68 degrees. They cannot survive for extended periods in water cooler than 63 degrees.

 
 

Animals Living Habits: eating, sleeping and moving.

Manatees eat a wide variety water plants.

When resting, manatees have been known to stay under water for up to 20 minutes.

Manatees are slow-moving. Manatees normally come up to the surface to breathe every three to five minutes.

They use their two small front flippers to crawl along ocean or river bottoms. Their flat, horizontal tails are pumped up and down to help move them along.

 
 

Fun Facts

  • Manatees are distantly related to elephants
  • Manatee are threatened by human activities. These include boat-related injuries and deaths, habitat loss, and hunting.
  • Manatees can live up to 60 years.
To cite this page as a resource:
Manatees, www.slpschools.org/aq, .

References: Manatees, http://www.savethemanatee.org/manfcts.htm, downloaded on 2-23-2007, and
Manatees, http://cars.er.usgs.gov/manateefactsheet.pdf., downloaded on 2-23-2007.

Revised: 4-16-2007.

For information, contact John Dyer, Media Specialist, Aquila Primary Center.