Manatee

About the Manatee

Also called sea cows, they are the only fully herbivorous marine mammals alongside dugongs. They eat 10-15% of their body weight daily in seagrass. They are responsible for the mermaid myth along with dugongs. Christopher Columbus described seeing mermaids that were not as beautiful as depicted. They have no natural predators but are threatened by boat propellers - most adult manatees bear propeller scars. They can live 60+ years. They are more closely related to elephants than any marine animal. They rest every 15-20 minutes to breathe. Only about 6,000 Florida manatees remain.