MANATEES
Herbivorous
Marine Mammals
Manatees are large, fully aquatic,
mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. It is one
of the most unusual of all the aquatic life. Its tail is paddle-like flippers,
and is the clearest visible difference between manatees and dugongs. Manatees
are generally solitary animals. They are the only animal known to have a vascularized cornea. They measure up to
4.0 metres (13.1 ft) long, weigh as much as 590 kilograms (1,300 lb).
The Florida subspecies (T. m.
latirostris) has been known to live up to 60 years. The name manatí
comes from the Taino, a pre-Columbian people of the Caribbean, meaning "breast".
Thanks to Hallie
Berliner Feldman of USA
Received: May 17, 2016
