Adult manatees are typically 9-10 feet long and weigh around 1000 pounds.
However, they may grow to over 13 feet and weigh more than 3500 pounds.
Adults are gray in color, with very fine hairs sparsely distributed over
much of the body. Stiff whiskers grow around the face and lips. Algae
growing on the dermis may make them appear green or brown. They have two
fore limbs, usually with 3 or 4 nails, that they use for slow movements
and to grasp vegetation while eating. They have a rounded flattened tail
for swimming. The nostrils, located on the upper surface of the snout,
tightly close with valves when underwater. Their eyes are small and have a
membrane that can be drawn over them for protection. The ear openings,
located just behind the eyes, are small and lack external lobes. They have
a flexible upper lip that is used to draw food into the mouth.
Habitat:
The manatee inhabits coastal waters and rivers. They can easily move
between fresh, brackish and marine habitats. The West Indian manatee's
range is from the southern United States throughout the Caribbean Islands,
Central America, and to northern South America. In the United States, a
sub-species-the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), lives in
many Florida waterways or travels up the eastern coastline into Georgia,
the Carolinas, and as far north as Massachusetts during warm months. In
the Gulf, Florida manatees are occasionally sighted as far west as Texas.
During cold months these manatees migrate to the warm waters of south
Florida, or find a source of warm water such as artesian springs or
industrial discharges.
Behavior:
Manatees are large, aquatic mammals that eat plants. Also known as "sea
cows," these herbivores usually spend up to eight hours a day grazing on
seagrasses and other aquatic plants. A manatee can consume up to 10
percent of its body weight in aquatic vegetation daily. The manatee uses
its muscular lips to grab and tear plants much like an elephant uses its
trunk to pick up items. Manatees consume freshwater and marine plants of
all kinds.
A manatee uses its flippers and tail to steer itself through the water and
moves its tail up and down to propel itself forward. Manatees are quite
agile in the water. They can swim upside down, roll, do somersaults or
move vertically in the water. Like other mammals, manatees breathe air.
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.
Manatees rest from 2 to 12 hours a day either suspended near the water's
surface or lying on the bottom, usually for several hours at a time.
Manatees reach sexual maturity in 3-5 years (females) and 5-7 years
(males) and may live over 60 years in controlled environments. Gestation
is approximately 13 months and usually one calf is born. The calf may stay
with the cow for up to 2 years. Male manatees (bulls) are not part of the
family unit. Bulls will leave a female alone after her breeding period is
over. Of the wild manatees that reach adulthood, only about half are
expected to survive into their early 20s.
Where Can I See Manatees?
During the winter months, manatees head for warm waters, such as springs
and power plant discharges. For the remainder of the year, manatees are
widely dispersed. The following is a list of some of the places where you
can see the endangered Florida
manatee http://myfwc.com/education/wildlife/manatee/where-to-see/ in
captivity or in the wild.
