Three species of large, slow, fully aquatic plant-eating mammals, sometimes called sea cows, with paddle-shaped tails. They live in shallow coastal waters and rivers of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Amazon and West Africa.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?In places
At a glance
Found inOceans, Rivers
HabitatCoast, Rivers & lakes, Wetland
ColoursGrey, Brown
SizeHuge
LengthUp to 4 m
WeightUp to 590 kg
LegsNone
Covered inSkin
Lives alone
Lives for40–60 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- The Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Amazon basin and West Africa.
- What it eats
- Over 60 kinds of freshwater and saltwater plants.
Did you know
Its closest living relative is the dugong.
Its curiosity and slow speed make it prone to collisions with boat propellers.
Often confused with
- Dugong
The dugong is the manatee’s only living relative, found in the Eastern Hemisphere.
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