The manatee is fusiform in shape, rather like a small whale, but has a short neck, unlike whales. The body is 2.5-4.0 meters long and weighs up to about 360 kilograms.

The manatee stores large amounts of fat under the skin to maintain body temperature in seawater; specializes in paddle-like flippers on the forelimbs and has no hind limbs, but retains a degenerate pelvis; has a large, fleshy, flattened caudal fin; and has an essentially hairless torso, with whiskers only around the lips, and tactile hairs on the head.

The head is large and round with large lips, and due to the short neck, the head can move nimbly to facilitate feeding; the nostrils are positioned above the muzzle for breathing at the surface; the eyes are small and have poor vision; hearing is good at high frequencies, but degraded at low frequencies.

Lives in the warm waters of the Atlantic, usually in shallow seas and estuaries, with only a few species inhabiting rivers. It is slow-moving. Male manatee testes are borne in the abdominal cavity. The female has a bicornuate uterus and a ring-shaped placenta. Breeds once a year, with a gestation period of about 1 year, giving birth to 1 litter in the water. Grass-fed.

Habitat of the manatee

Manatees inhabit rivers and prefer shallow water, whether in rivers, estuaries, canals, or coastal areas. They cannot survive in cold water, which is why they are found in the Amazon River Basin, Florida, West Africa, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. The water must be warmer than 60°F (16°C).

In winter when the temperature drops, or for other reasons, they move to warmer places. This is because the bodies of these mammals, although very large, have very little fat. As a result, they get cold easily and cannot survive in freezing waters.