"What do manatees eat?"
Manatees are herbivores, meaning they eat only vegetables. They eat mostly sea grass, which is a grass-type plant that grows in waterways. They will occasionally eat a dead fish if offered one in captivity, but usually eat just vegetation. They are most often fed a diet of lettuce in captivity.
"Why are manatees so fat?"
Manatees aren't really fat, they just look that way. The food that they eat isn't very nutritious, so they have to eat very large amounts of food to make up for it. This is why they're so large, not because they have blubber like a whale.
"Why don't manatees just migrate north to where there aren't so many boats and they won't get hit?"
Manatees don't have much body fat, and because of that, they can't stand cold water. If they get into water below 72*, they most often get hypothermia and die.
"Manatees are mammals, right?"
Yes, manatees are mammals. They breathe oxygen, have hair (that's what the bristles on their chins are) and nurse their young.
"How often do manatees have babies?"
A manatee reaches adulthood and may begin having calves at about 12 years of age. After that, a manatee may have another calf every 2-3 years. Usually manatees have only one calf at a time, but sometimes they have twins.
"How long can manatees hold their breath?"
A manatee usually surfaces to breathe every 1-3 minutes. But when resting, a manatee can stay under for up to 15 or 20 minutes.
"Do manatees ever attack people?"
Manatees are very calm and peaceful creatures, not known to attack unless they are provoked. They often enjoy human contact, and may approach a swimmer or diver for want of a belly rub rather than to attack. You have no reason to be afraid of swimming in manatee-inhabited waters.
"If I see a manatee, can I feed it?"
It may sound like fun to feed a manatee, but you really shouldn't do it. Teaching a manatee to take food from humans is a bad idea in general, because someone else not as nice as you may use the animals naivety to feed it something nasty that might kill it, like a plastic bag or fishing line.
"What are those weird markings I saw on the back of a manatee?"
Those are scars from moterboat propellers. Manatees often get in the way of boats and get cut by the propeller. If a manatee is young and the cuts are bad, it may bleed to death. But usually they live on and carry the scars, which researchers use to identify individual manatees.
"What should I do if I see a manatee in trouble?"
If you see a manatee that you think is hurt or in danger of being hurt, unless you are a professional yourself, you should contact wildlife specialists. There should be many numbers for you to call for it, just ask someone or call information. Don't try to help or move the manatee yourself, manatees are very heavy and difficult to move around. Also, they might think you are trying to hurt them and thrash around. Manatees may be slow, but if they are angry they can really give you a slap with those tail flukes.
"What is killing the manatees?"
Sadly, what is killing the manatees is people. People go boating on the coasts of Florida and may ignore rules or signs informing them of manatees. Manatees are quite slow, and most often do not hear the boat coming or aren't fast enough to get out of the way of a speeding boat. Most manatees are killed by the impact of the boat.
"So what can I do to help manatees live?"
Make sure to obey all boating rules and regulations when in manatee infested waters. Inform family and friends to do so also. The more people who do this, the better. You may wants to adopt a manatee to help keep it safe. Look in my links section for places to adopt a manatee. Just do what you can. If all of us work together, we can make a difference.
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When a manatee is in trouble
