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From the Field:
Manatees 
Manatees are a marine mammal found in warm, shallow seas and rivers. They spend their entire lives in the water, but since they are mammals they must come to the surface to breath air. Female's can reproduce at 3-4 years old and may do so every 2-3 years for up to 20 or more years. Mothers suckle their young with milk from a teat located underneath the flippers. These large, slow moving animals are vegetarians and feed mostly on seagrasses.
There are three species of manatee in the world: the West African, the Amazonian, and the West Indian. The West Indian manatees are separated into two subspecies: the Florida manatees found in Florida and the Antillean manatees, found on the Atlantic
coasts of Central and South America. Their closest
relative is the dugong, found in the Indo-Pacific. Scientists
believe that manatees are distantly related to elephants and
aardvarks! Manatees are currently protected in every country they
are found.
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© Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre 2003
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