Manatees can get frostbite in water below 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20°C). Their fat is not designed to insulate them from the cold.
100 Mind-Blowing Manatees Facts
Manatees can get cold stress. These gentle giants may look like tough guys, but they can be pretty sensitive to cold. In waters below 20°C, manatees can get “Florida frostbite.” Manatee fat isn’t enough to insulate their body temperature in the cold – which is why manatee deaths spiked in the Florida cold snap of 2010.
Alligators will give manatees the right of way if they are swimming near each other.
Many people believe that early mermaid sightings can be attributed to dehydration + manatees.
Manatees are believed to account for at least some of the early explorer’s mermaid sightings.
Manatees use their flippers to walk along the bottom of the body of water, feeling for food. When they find it, they scoop it up toward their mouths with their flipper.
Manatees are mammals, and they have one baby every two to five years. The babies are born underwater. Females are pregnant for about 1 year. The young nurse for 1-½-2 years.
Manatees live in the water but they need air to survive. They surface every few minutes when active and can stay under for as long as 20 minutes if still.
Most mammals have seven neck vertebrae but both the manatee and the sloth have just six. This means that manatees can’t turn their heads.
Manatees can swim up to 20 MPH.
Manatees face several dangers in their native waters: boating accidents can harm or even kill manatees and things like plastics in the water can cause health problems. You can learn more about how to protect manatees even if you live thousands of miles away, by visiting Save the Manatee.