Manatee (genus Trichechus)

Marine MammalSirenianHerbivore

Overview

Manatees are large, slow-moving, fully aquatic herbivorous mammals — the 'sea cows' of warm coastal waters and rivers. There are three species in the genus Trichechus: the West Indian, African and Amazonian manatees.

Manatees belong to the order Sirenia, whose only other living member is the dugong. Despite a superficial resemblance to seals or whales, their closest land relatives are elephants — a relationship visible in their nails, tooth replacement and general anatomy.

A manatee has a rounded paddle-shaped tail (the dugong's is fluked), a bristly flexible upper lip used to gather vegetation, and a remarkable dental arrangement: teeth are continuously replaced from the back as worn teeth fall out at the front.

Habitat & Range

Manatees live in shallow, slow-moving warm water — coastal bays, estuaries, lagoons, canals and rivers. The West Indian manatee occurs from the southeastern United States through the Caribbean to northern South America, the African manatee along West African coasts and rivers, and the Amazonian manatee entirely in fresh water in the Amazon basin. They tolerate a range of salinities but not cold: sustained cool water is dangerous to them.

Diet

Manatees are herbivores that consume large quantities of aquatic and marginal vegetation — seagrasses, freshwater plants, algae and overhanging leaves. They use the flexible, bristled upper lip to grasp and pull plants into the mouth, and the constant abrasion from gritty vegetation is why their teeth are replaced throughout life.

Behavior

Manatees are generally slow and solitary or in loose groups, though they aggregate where conditions favour it — most famously at warm-water springs and industrial outflows in Florida during cold snaps. They surface regularly to breathe, rest for long periods, and communicate with squeaks and chirps, with strong bonds between mothers and calves. They have no natural predators of consequence across most of their range.

Human Interaction & Conservation

The greatest human-related risks to manatees are watercraft strikes, entanglement, habitat loss and the decline of the seagrass beds they depend on; cold-stress events are a further pressure at the northern edge of the range. Historic hunting reduced populations across all three species. Manatees are legally protected in many countries. This profile provides no guidance on approaching, feeding or handling manatees — all are discouraged or illegal in much of their range. Verify current status at the IUCN Red List.