Manatee

Manatees Manatees are mammals that are called sea cows. These plant eaters are slow swimmers. They have two flippers, each flipper has three or four nails on the end. They have short whiskers on their short, boxy nose. Manatees are closely related to the elephant!

When manatees are small, they are dark gray or black. Their skin quickly lightens to gray as they get older.

Manatees breathe air through their nose into 2 lungs. Although they can stay underwater for up to 20 minutes, they normally surface every 5 minutes. Their nose is covered by flaps that close during dives.

Manatees can live to be 60 years old!

media type="youtube" key="p7txP9MOCqs?fs=1" height="390" width="480"