Manatees are large marine animals that are also known as sea cows. Their name is appropriate due to their large stature and slow nature. Despite their name, their closest relative is the elephant. Manatees can range in length from 8 to 3 feet and weigh 440 to 1,300 pounds. They can swim about 5 mph but they can swim up to 15 mph in short bursts. There are 3 species of manatee. The Amazonian Manatee, the West Indian Manatee, and the African Manatee. The African manatee lives along the coast and in the rivers of western Africa. The Amazon manatee lives in the Amazon River’s drainage, from the headwaters in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador to the mouth of the Amazon in Brazil. The West Indian manatee lives in the southern and eastern United States, although a few have been known to reach the Bahamas. Manatees are herbivores, therefore at sea they prefer to eat sea grasses. In rivers, they eat freshwater vegetation. They can also eat algae.
Fun fact: A manatee can eat one tenth of its weight in 24 hours. That’s 130 pounds! That’s all of the facts for my manatee rant.
The Middle Seat 