The West Indian manatee is an aquatic mammal that can grow as large as 13 feet long and weight on average 1,000lbs. They are gentle, slow-moving creatures that inhabit the shallow waters of Florida during the winter months. As the hotter months reach Florida, the manatees tend to spread out and can be found as far West as Louisiana, and as far North as Virginia and the Carolinas. Their gentle and playful ways attract visitors from all over the world, who have enjoyed watching and swimming with theses odd looking, but rather unknown creatures. The manatee is often lovingly referred to as sea-cows because, like deer or cows, they are herbivores and graze their food. On a daily bases they consume approximately 100-150lbs of vegetation. That's about 10-15% of their body weight! They have large, seal-like bodies that taper to a powerful tail. Their two forelimbs--complete with toenails--act look and act like arms, enabling them to feed. Despite their appearance as fat, sluggish mammals, the manatee's body is mostly composed of muscle and intestine. This lack of fat makes them unable to live in cold water temperatures. Like humans, they breath air in through the nostrils on their noses, but unlike humans, their lungs extend the length of their body cavity, allowing them to remain submerged for up to 20 minutes.

The manatee can live as long as 60 years, but as they are slow breeders, there are approximately only 2,600 West Indian manatees left in the United States today. Despite the fact that they share the same waters as alligators and sharks, the manatee have no natural predators. Premature deaths occur mostly by the careless hand of man; motorboat accidents, canal locks, fish hooks, liter and monofiliment line, entanglement in crab traps, and vandalism are the primary causes. Luckily, awareness of the manatees has been raised over the years and there has been a concentrated effort by many counties in Florida to conserve and rescue these playful creatures, while educating the public to its responsibility to protect them.