Manatee Junction^TM

Sirenia Vitals & Statistics

Behavior

Manatee's are gentle, semi-social creatures. Except in winter when they gather in Florida's warm water rivers and inland springs, manatees prefer a solitary existence. The basic social unit is cow and calf. In Florida, mothers with new born calves can be seen year round, however most births seem to take place in quiet places during the spring and summer months.

Manatees would rather flee than fight. Mothers will intercede and place themselves between the perceived danger and their young, but will not attack, preferring to flee instead.

Food

The Florida Manatee is an herbivore and has been known to eat over 60 species of aquatic and semi-aquatic vegetation including sea grasses (turtle grass, manatee grass), algae, mangrove leaves, and water hyacinths.
Manatees are hungry critters. They eat between ten and fifteen per cent of their body weight each day. A fat manatee is a happy manatee!

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