A native of the surrounding waters of South America is the Florida manatee, a giant marine mammal.
All three different species of manatees, namely, West Indian, Amazonian, and West African manatees, have been listed as Endangered by the Endangered Species Act mainly due to ship strikes and natural habitat destruction.
The Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, the Indian River, and the Amazon Basin are some of the water bodies that are home to these aquatic mammals.
Provisions are being made by marine conservation centers towards the protection of these species.
Florida manatees, belonging to the animal kingdom of class Mammalia, family Trichechidae, and genus Trichechus, are a type of slow-moving sea cow. It is classified as one of the subspecies of the West Indian Manatee, the other being the Caribbean manatee.
Being aquatic mammals, their habitat includes freshwater, coastal areas, hot springs, estuaries, and inland waters of the Southeastern United States in summer.
They are usually found in areas like the Gulf of Mexico, traveling as far west as Texas, and the Atlantic ocean, as far north as Massachusetts. However, to avoid extreme water temperatures in winter, they accumulate in the warm water of Florida.
This herbivorous marine mammal primarily feeds on seagrass, algae, and other aquatic plants but is also found feasting on small fish.
On average, adult manatees weigh around 992.08 lb (450 kg) with a body length of 110-118 in (280-300 cm). Their body is in the shape of a giant, elongated, round bun with a flat tail covered with grey hair.
Their flippers are shaped like a paddle that leaves footprints throughout the course of their journey through the water.
Manatees reproduce every two years in the spring season in shallow and warm water and give birth to a single baby calf. They have a lifespan of more than 60 years.
Keep reading to know more interesting facts about the Florida manatees! Check out the African manatee facts and Risso's dolphin facts to learn more about them.
Florida Manatee Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a Florida manatee?
Florida manatees are a type of marine mammal. There are three different species of manatees found around the world, namely, West Indian, Amazonian, and West African. Florida manatees are considered to be a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, the other being the Caribbean manatee.
What class of animal does a Florida manatee belong to?
Manatees belong to the class Mammalia.
How many Florida manatees are there in the world?
The population trend of Florida manatees is decreasing due to various human activities, and currently, their total population has been reduced to approximately 8,810 individuals.
Where does a Florida manatee live?
Florida manatees prefer living in warm water. Hence, they inhabit the surrounding water bodies of Southeastern America. They are generally spotted in the Gulf of Mexico, traveling as far west as Texas and the Atlantic Ocean and as far north as Massachusetts throughout summer. However, in winter, they accumulate in the warm water of Florida.
What is a Florida manatee's habitat?
Manatees are aquatic animals; hence, their habitat includes freshwater, inland waters, and estuaries. They are also found lying under the sun in the coastal areas through summer. However, they accumulate in the warm water bodies or hot springs of Florida in winter to avoid extremely cold temperatures.
Who do Florida manatees live with?
Florida manatees generally prefer to live in isolation. However, they can be found swimming in pairs, a baby calf following its mother, or a male and female together during the mating season.
How long does a Florida manatee live?
Florida manatees can live for more than 60 years in their natural habitat.
How do they reproduce?
Manatees reach sexual maturity after the age of five and reproduce every two years, beginning in the spring season. They are polygamous, so a female manatee can have several male partners.
From the beginning of Spring until the end of Summer is the usual mating season of the manatees, and they are found mating in shallow and warm waters. The gestation period is very long, that is, thirteen months.
This is the reason why manatees have a low reproduction rate. The mother gives birth to a single baby calf and looks after it for another year or two, after which the baby is left to roam independently.
What is their conservation status?
The Endangered Species Act, as well as the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), has marked the conservation status of Florida Manatees as Endangered. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service felt the need to enlist them as Threatened for showing a decreasing population trend.
Various human activities are the cause of the endangerment of this species. Currently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, along with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, are responsible for the protection of this species.
Florida Manatee Fun Facts
What do Florida manatees look like?
A Florida manatee's body is in the shape of a giant, elongated, round bun with a flat tail covered with thick gray hair. Their flippers are shaped like a paddle that leaves footprints throughout the course of their journey through the water.
The snout of a manatee is shorter than that of dugongs, a mammal belonging to the order Sirenia.
Although manatees and elephants don't look similar, it is believed that they are distant relatives. This is because they have similar coats and female counterparts of both species have one teat under each flipper.
How cute are they?
Manatees have a huge body that bulges in the middle with a small snout and round eyes. These features make them look extremely cute. Baby manatees are as adorable as baby elephants with their small, bulging bodies.
How do they communicate?
Manatees are very intelligent creatures that use different sounds to communicate among themselves. These sounds resemble chirps, squeaks, and whistles. They use these sounds to communicate with their babies and while playing or mating.
How big is a Florida manatee?
The average body length of adult manatees ranges between 110-118 in (279.4-299.72 cm), while that of baby manatees is 48-54 in (121.92-137.16 cm). However, the longest Manatee was recorded to be 180 in (457.2 cm)!
By comparison, the now-extinct Stellar's sea cow used to be much bigger than them. Stellar's sea cows were almost the same size as blue whales.
How fast can a Florida manatee move?
Manatees use huge flat flippers while swimming, leaving footprints throughout the course of their journey through the water. The ripples in the water are referred to as footprints. The average speed at which manatees swim is 3-5 mph (5-8 kph), although sudden bursts of increased speed that reach up to 20 mph (30 kph) have been recorded as well.
How much does a Florida manatee weigh?
On average, an adult manatee weighs around 992.08 lb (450 kg), while Florida manatee babies weigh between 60-70 lb (27-32 kg). Adult West Indian manatees have also been recorded to weigh around 3649 lb (1655 kg)!
What are the male and female names of the species?
A manatee is also known as a sea cow, and the male and female names of the species are bull and cow, respectively.
What would you call a baby Florida manatee?
A baby Florida manatee is known as a calf.
What do they eat?
Manatees are herbivorous animals that primarily feed on 60 different marine plants such as seagrass, algae, and other marine plants. Occasionally, they are also found feasting on small fish off fishing nets.
Are they dangerous?
Florida manatees are absolutely harmless creatures and do not attack or bite humans. They are extremely well behaved and docile in nature which makes them loved by all.
They love to be around humans and are also known to put up with inappropriate human behaviors, although one must never resort to such inappropriateness. However, they must be left alone during the mating season when they might feel threatened.
Would they make a good pet?
Being extremely huge in size and heavy in weight, manatees require enough space to go about and swim. Hence, confining them in artificial aquatic habitats will limit their movement and cause physical difficulties. They also need a specialized diet, preferably one that is found in their natural aquatic habitats. Hence, petting manatees may not be a very good idea.
Did you know...
Snooty, a Florida manatee, was alive until the age of 69 in captivity.
Generally, manatees can be spotted early in the morning when they are the most playful.
Florida manatees have an evolved long-term memory and can perform complex associative learning.
Why is the Florida manatee Endangered?
The number of manatee deaths, especially for these subspecies of the West Indian manatee, is increasing every year, enlisting them as an endangered species. Various human activities are responsible for the threats posed towards their existence. Manatees, also called sea cows for being slow-moving animals, get struck by ships very often.
They are hunted for their meat, bones, and blubber. Water pollution is a major cause of the destruction of their natural habitat.
The extremely cold temperature of the water is another reason for the decrease in population as they prefer living in warm waters. Currently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, along with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, are responsible for the protection of this species.
Different types of manatee
There are three different species of manatees found around the world, namely, West Indian, Amazonian, and West African. Florida Manatees are a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, the other being the Caribbean manatees. Provisions are being made towards the protection of these species and saving them from becoming extinct in the near future.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals including our West Indian manatee facts and Commerson's dolphin facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Kawaii seal coloring pages.
