Manatees
- 1. MANATEES
- 2. What is a Manatee? Manatees are giant warm blooded animals They have 2 flippers and a giant round tail that they use to move around They are called marine animals because they live underwater
- 3. Where can you find them? Manatees enjoy warm water, so the most common place to find them are in the waters around Florida. They also like to live in small groups or “herds” so if you see one, chances are another is close by. In the winter the best place to see Manatees is the Crystal River outside Tampa Fl. Here you even have the chance to swim with them
- 4. How do they breathe? Manatees don’t have gills like fish do so they need to come to the surface to breathe air. They surface for air about every 15 minutes when active and about every 30 minutes when sleeping
- 5. What do they eat? They graze, or fed on, plants that grow underwater These plants could be things such as sea weed In captivity, they are fed veggies like lettuce or carrots and as an extra treat they get fruits like apples and strawberries
- 6. Manatee Facts The Manatee’s closet relative is the Elephant You can tell this because manatees have “fingernails” on their flippers just like elephants have on their feet. Both elephants and manatees only eat plants. Manatees are often called Sea Cows There are 3 kinds of manatees known: The Dugong (pictured) The West Indian Manatee The Florida Manatee
- 7. More Facts Manatees tend to float towards the surface of the water They are VERY slow movers because of their size They prefer the shallow waters like rivers and inlets rather than the depths of the oceans It is because of their slowness and love of shallow waters that puts them in great harm
- 8. What’s harmful to Manatees? The biggest threat to Manatees is Humans When using boats, you have to pay attention to signs warning you of Manatees in the area so that you can slow down for them More and more manatees are killed every year by being hit by boat propellers. They are unable to get out of the way of a fast moving boat because of their size They can also very easily get caught up in discarded fishing lines and get severely injured
- 9. Helping Manatees When hurt manatees are found, they are taken to facilities that specialize in caring for them and preparing them to be put back into the wild
- 10. Snooty Snooty is the oldest Manatee that we know of He was the first Manatee born into captivity in Miami on July 21, 1948 He has become an icon in Florida and resides at the South Florida Museum in Bradenton