What Do Manatees Eat? Complete Feeding Guide

Are you familiar with manatees?

Manatees are aquatic mammals and are mainly divided into three species: the West Indian manatee, the Florida manatee, and the West African manatee. They prefer shallow waters which are around 3-7 ft (0.9-2.1 m) as they must surface for breathing.

We are here to talk about the diet of these manatees.

The diet of manatees is quite diverse. Their preferred foods might vary as per their habitat but are likely to include foods like manatee grass, turtle grass, shoal grass, grass sea clover, mangrove leaves, and several other types of grasses.

They use their flippers to pull their food towards their mouth.

These flippers are also used to dig the seafloor for plant roots and manatees may also partially emerge out of the water to eat vegetation present along the banks. After reading about what manatees prefer in their diet, also check out where do manatees live and seal vs sea lion.

What do manatees eat in the ocean?

Manatees are aquatic mammals that are primarily herbivores. They are seen eating a variety of things.

Eating habits of manatees consist mainly of plants. Being herbivores, manatees feed on submerged vegetation in the ocean. Manatees feed on a variety of plants. Manatees are seen coming out of the water surface to feed on overhanging leaves and vegetation from the banks of the ocean and other water bodies.

This aquatic mammal also eats food other than plants. But most of their food consists of plants, which they have plenty of access to from the ocean. Other than that, Antillean manatees eat fish.

There is another species of manatee called the African manatee. An African manatee can eat clams along with plants and other vegetation. Manatees can survive in fresh water, brackish water, and salty water.

What do manatees eat in the wild?

What do manatees eat in the wild? Is the diet requirement of manatees different in the wild?

The diet of manatees is mostly plants. They can eat freshwater plants and marine plants alike. In the wild, manatees will come close to river mouths and other banks of water bodies to feed on plants near the banks. They can eat for about seven hours a day. 

Horny, ridged pads are seen at the roof of the mouth of a manatee. These ridges and the lower jaw together break down the vegetation that they want to eat. Some marine plants that they eat are seagrasses, marine algae, and sea clover.

Freshwater plants like alligator weed, water lettuce, and musk grass are also part of the manatee diet. Both West African manatees and West Indian manatees need fresh water for drinking also.

What do manatees eat in the Amazon rainforest?

There are manatees found in the Amazon rainforest also. What do manatees eat in the Amazon rainforest?

Amazonian manatees are found in the mouth of the Amazon river. They are an unusual species of aquatic mammals found in the rainforest. Amazonian manatees are herbivores much like other species of manatees. These sea cows eat water lettuce and water hyacinth in the Amazon rainforest. During the wet season, there is plenty of vegetation in the rainforest.

The manatee feeds mostly during this season. The Amazon manatee was initially seen throughout the Amazon River basin. But with time, they were hunted down for meat and oil. This caused a steady decline in the number of Amazonian manatees.

They are a rare sight in the rainforest today. This sea cow has plenty of vegetation available in the Amazon rainforest to fill its stomach. Although hunting is a threat, manatees are still seen in small numbers in the Amazon rainforest.

What do you feed wild manatees?

If you are interested in knowing what to feed manatees, you better think twice before acting on it. Why so?

Do you know that feeding a Florida manatee is illegal? Yes, you read that right. Florida manatees should not be fed any food. This is not just for Florida manatees.

Manatees, in general, should not be fed. It is strictly prohibited in some areas. Manatees, if fed, will associate food with people. The next time they see people, they will expect this food and come near. But the fact is people hunt down manatees for oil and meat.

So this feeding act is highly discouraged. Even in rehabilitation centers, they do not feed manatees in person to stop the species from associating food with people.

Feeding wild manatees could cause danger to them eventually. You can leave plant food that they eat in places where they will see it, but it is better not to feed them in person.

In the entire world, the sole place where you can enjoy a passive swim with manatees is in the Crystal River, Florida.

Do manatees have any predators?

Do manatees get eaten? Are there any predators of these aquatic mammals? Surprisingly, there are no natural predators for manatees. Sharks, crocodiles, and other vicious predators in the sea could eat West Indian manatees.

But these predators don’t occupy the same place as that of a manatee. So it is rare for such an attack on the manatee. But this species is still threatened and endangered. Who is to blame?

Humans. Humans are the biggest threat to a manatee. Since there are no predators for manatees, they should be living a good life. But manatees are hunted by humans.

A West Indian manatee has an average lifespan of 30 years. A Florida manatee can live up to 60 years. The West African manatee has a lifespan of 30 years. If they aren’t attacked or harmed by humans in any way, they can live this long.

Why do manatees eat so much?

Adult manatees eat around 4-9% of their body weight of food daily. A West Indian manatee spends around five hours just eating. Why do they eat so much?

All three species of manatees, West African manatees, Florida manatees, and West Indian manatees, eat plenty of food. Manatees have a large body. The metabolism of these mammals is very slow. By eating a high amount of food, they are actually generating heat for organs of the body.

That is why you will find manatees eating a lot. Some manatees in the Amazon also fast during the dry season and store the food they need during the wet season. So, during the wet season, these manatees eat a lot to store energy in their body. The slow metabolism of manatees helps them fast without any problem.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for what do manatees eat then take a look at dolphin symbolism or what is a group of dolphins called.