NATURE. Critter Guide. Manatee

Critter Guide :: Mammals :: Manatee

There are three species of manatees: West Indian (Florida and Antillean subspieces), African, and Amazonian. Manatees are large animals; a West Indian manatee can weigh up to 1,900 pounds. They have long, mobile forelimbs with three to four fingernails. The thick, rough skin is usually a grayish color, often tinged with algae. Manatees may live to be 50 to 80 years old.

Where do they live?
Manatees live in warm tropical and subtropical waters.

Approximately 2,500 Florida manatees, a West Indian subspecies, live in Florida waters. But they live as far north as Virginia and as far west as Mississippi. Because of numerous manatee deaths caused by motorboats, manatees are now protected by the Federal Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

What do they eat?
They eat floating aquatic plants and shoreline vegetation, with some occasional invertebrates and dead fish.

Critter Fact
When worn down, the front teeth are replaced by the back teeth in a continuous process of regeneration.

Did You Know?
Manatees are also known as sirenians, named after the Sirens of Greek mythology. Sirens, females with animal body parts, lured sailors to their deaths with their mesmerizing songs. Amazing stories of mermaids basking in sparkling waters were also inspired by the manatee.

Related Episodes
Springs Eternal: Florida's Fountain of Youth
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/springs/

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