Florida Manatees
By Blair F.
Table Of Contents








Introduction
Where do they live?
What do they eat?
What do they look like?
Who are their enemies?
Physical Characteristics?
Conclusion
Fun Facts
 Bibliography
page 3
page 4
page 5
page6
page 7
page 8
page 9
page 10
Introduction
Chomp, Chomp… That’s the sound of the Florida Manatees eating
some lettuce at the Moat Aquarium. At the Moat Aquarium they keep
animals that once lived in the ocean that got hurt or the moat took
them for the manatees safety. Some of the animals include Florida
Manatees! I was shocked to see those super huge animals here, I
mean how could they get hurt? Can’t they hurt you? If you would like
to learn how these animals live read this and you’ll find out! 
Habitat
Where do Manatees live?
Manatees can live in many waters that is 68 or more degrees
Fahrenheit. Manatees live in places like Florida's costal waters
during the winters, shallow waters on coast lines and in channels.
There are a lot of them in Florida's rivers and in the ocean. They
cannot survive in water below 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Which means
they have to stay in warm water
I’m HUNGRY!
What’s coming in my belly?
Manatees are herbivores. They eat marine and fresh water plants, sea
grasses, and sometimes leafs. They NEVER eat fish or marine life. If a
human being is swimming in water that manatees live in there will be
NO danger what so ever. Manatees eat over 10% of their body
weight. They also eat more than anything else they do.
This is me?
Do I really look like that?
Manatees have tough grayish skin. When my animal grows up it
weighs in the range of 1,500-1,800 pounds. They live to the age 50-60
years old. In the wild, when a calf (baby manatee) is born, it is
usually 3-4 feet long and weighs in the range of 50-70 pounds
Why don’t people like me?
Survival
Manatees are in danger from people (boats). Manatees must stay
close to the surface in order to breathe. Often times, they are struck
by the propellers of passing boats. They get many scars and wounds
and cut up flippers dues to these accidents. The injuries are not
intentional. Manatees have also been killed by disease, flood-control
gates, cold water, and human destruction. Sharks, Alligators,
crocodiles and man have been known to attack and kill manatees.
Where do I come from?
Babies are born 1 at a time. As soon as the calf is born,
the mother manatee raises it to the surface for its first breath of air. A
new born manatee weighs an average of 77 pounds. The majority of
them leave their families when they are at least two years old. During
that time, the mother and baby talked to each other and played with
each other.
So the conclusion is…………………
In conclusion, we now know that Manatees are very peaceful for their
gigantic size. They live very happily in Florida’s waters where they can
swim around and “hopefully” not get hurt. Although Manatees have
such a big size they DO NOT eat other fish they only eat sea grasses,
lettuce, leaves, and algae. I hope these gentle giants stay in Florida’s
waters for ever and ever where I can go visit my favorite water buddy.
More exciting facts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Manatees only have 6 neck bones not 7 like most mammals
They swim in groups or pairs
They like to stay in contact by touching each other
Manatees swim very slowly but if they want they can speed up to 15
miles per hour
Mothers and calves swim side by side and play together
Zoologists can tell how old a manatee is by counting the number of
growth rings on it’s ear bones
They use anchor rope like dental floss to clean there teeth!
I had fun doing this report
Bibliography
Books:
All About Manatees , J. Arnosky. pp. 10-11
Manatees: Gentle Giants in Peril, M. Unterbrink. pp. 11-13
Manatees: Our Wild World Series, K. Feeney. pp. 6-11, 17, 25,33-36,
39, 41, 43
Manatee Winter, K. W. Zoehfeld. p. 7
Slow Down for Manatees, J. Arnosky. pp. 2-6
Websites:
Defenders of Wildlife:
http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/manatee.ph
p
Enchanted Learning:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/manatee/inf
osheet.shtml
Kid's Planet: http://kidsplanet.org/factsheets/ma
The End