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Where they live -

Although they look like deep-sea divers, they’re found in shallow coastal areas and rivers feeding on seagrass, mangrove leaves, and algae.

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Fresh and salty? -

West Indian and West African manatees live on the cusp between fresh and salty water.

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They actually get cold easily -

Although they look like they have plenty of insulation, they get cold very easily because of their low metabolic rates and minimal fat protection.

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Respiration -

They go to the surface of the water every five minutes to breathe. They can remain underwater for up to 20 minutes.

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The Amazonian manatee -

The Amazonian manatee lives in entirely freshwater throughout South America in the Amazon Basin. But it’s hard to estimate their numbers because of the murkiness of where they live.

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Dugongs -

Dugongs live with manatees in the sea waters of the Indian Ocean and western Pacific and look very similar to them. However, they have a more whale-like fluke rather than a paddle-tail.

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Their land-dwelling cousins -

The closest living relatives of both kinds of aquatic creatures are elephants.

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New teeth all the time -

Unlike humans who have one round of baby teeth, manatees continuously replace their teeth throughout life (much like their elephant relatives).

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Steller’s sea cow -

It’s now understood by scientists that the now-extinct Steller’s sea cow was the oldest member of this family of animals categorized as Sirenia.

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The origin of the mermaid -

It’s thought that Christopher Columbus and other early explorers mistook these beasts for female figures swimming in the ocean because of the writings and drawings of the era. It’s understood that these encounters with manatees were the origins of mermaid stories.

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Tiny brains -

Their brains are smooth and the ratio of the size of their brains to the rest of their body is the lowest of any mammal.

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Little ones -

Females will give birth every two to five years, and nurse their 'little ones' for two years from a teat found where the forward limbs meet the body.

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Two mammals with ultra-slow metabolism -

They are one of two mammals that have just six vertebrae in their neck rather than seven. The other is another animal with an incredibly slow metabolism: the sloth.

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They spend a lot of time at the surface -

They have no natural predators in the wild but are still going extinct due to human intervention. They’re fished, and hit by boats.

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Length -

They grow up to around four meters long (13 ft) and weigh up to 1,300 lbs (450 kg).

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Eyes open like a camera lens -

Their eyes open and close just like the aperture of a camera, in a circular motion.

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They live like cows -

They are very similar to their landlocked and lost relatives. They’re herbivores that graze a whole lot.

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They eat lots of greens -

They are capable of eating a 10th of their weight every 24 hours.

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They sleep upside down -

They sleep upside down near the surface for around 12 hours a day, which is why they are hit by boats so often.

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Slow swimmers -

They swim at an average pace of 5 miles (8 km) per hour, so it’s a good thing they don't have any real predators.

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They live quite a while -

Their slow metabolism and lack of predators mean that they often live until they are around 40 years old. The longest-living manatee on record was Snooty (photographed), who lived for 69 years.

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They're great communicators -

They communicate with all five senses: taste, touch, smell, sight, and sound.

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Downtime for the manatee -

For fun, they like to head out for a surf. They roll around in the waves 'body surfing.'

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Red tides -

Besides getting hit by boats and being accidentally fished out of the water, red rides are a threat to them. Red tide is a common name for harmful algal blooms occurring along coastal regions.

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Manatee deaths -

Around 99 manatee deaths each year are caused by humans, according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

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They're so slow that barnacles build up on them -

Because they are such slow-moving animals for the majority of their lives, algae and barnacles can often be found gathering on the backs of manatees.

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It's up to us -

It is essentially up to humans as to whether or not manatees become extinct through protecting their habitats.

Sources: (PADI)

See also: Famous sites to see before they disappear from the Earth

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