Manatee

1
Meet the Endangered
Manatee
Researched and Presented by Mrs. Moureaux
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Manatees

• Slow-moving aquatic Mammals that evolved from
  four-footed animals over 60.000,000 years ago
• May be over 13ft long and weigh 3,500 lbs
• Grey-brown color
• Two flippers and paddle-shaped tail
• Whiskers and flexible lips that grasp plants as
  they eat

3
What do Manatees Eat?

• Manatees are vegetarians. They eat all kinds of
  aquatic plants but their favorite is the water
  hyacinth.
• Manatees eat SO MANY plants
  (100 pounds a
  day!) that they help to keep the waterways clear
  for boats

4
Where do Manatees Live?

• Manatees can live in both salt water and fresh
  water. In the summer when the ocean is warm they
  live mostly along the coastal waters of Florida,
  the Gulf of Mexico and parts of the Caribbean
  Sea. In the winter they swim into the warmer
  water of the rivers and springs that empty into
  the ocean.

5
Some Really Cool Stuff About the Manatee

• Manatees can hold their breath under water for 20
  minutes! (but usually surface every 4 minutes or
  less to breathe)
• Though manatees look a lot like seals or walruses
  they are most closely related to elephants!
• Sailors long ago who saw manatees for the first
  time thought they were mermaids!
• Manatee babies get milk from their moms from
  under her flippers!

6
Manatees are Threatened by

• Motorboat propellers
• Polluted water
• Fishing lines that trap them under water
• Red Tides
• Loss of habitat

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What Can You Do to Help Save the Manatee?

• Find out all you can about the manatee and share
  the knowledge with others
• Join a conservation group that is working to
  protect manatees
• Join a clean up campaign in your area to keep our
  waterways clean
• Find out about laws to protect the manatee.
  Write to lawmakers and ask them to do more.

8
Lets Work So Its Not
The End
Of the Manatee