Manatees are what we call aquatic herbivores (plant eaters), but they are known as ‘’sea cows.’’ Why? Because they literally spend 8 hours of their day eating seagrass and other aquatic plants. In one day, they eat 4-9 percent of their body weight, that’s about 90 pounds of food every day! Manatees tend to like warmer waters so you will mostly find them in springs and waterways.

Manatees: Federally Endangered and Now Threatened (that’s an improvement!)

Manatees were very endangered in 2017. As of 2023, with the help of environmental scientists, the Manatee population has greatly increased and they are no longer endangered, instead they are threatened. But that shouldn’t stop us from helping them because at any time they could go back to an endangerment level.

Why are they threatened? Manatees are losing warm water habitats due to humans. Also, since the water is so dirty and they are so big, their brown skin blends right in and boats collide into them. And they can easily get tangled in fishing gear because of how massive they are.

How You Can Help the Manatee

Luckily there are things you can do to help! Clean up the beaches and recycle your trash. When boating up waterways like Tampa Bay, slow your boat down to prevent collision. Report any sightings of Manatees so they can put up signs in that area for other people to be aware of. And lastly, try to leave them alone and let them be.

Thanks for reading!