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Manatees were once terrestrial animals; however, they no longer venture onto land.

Similar to their relatives, the elephants, they formerly required toenails for walking on land. Over time and as they adapted to aquatic life, they developed stronger tails, rendering their toenails less functional for movement. Despite this, they still maintain a striking resemblance to their land-dwelling counterparts. Just like elephants, manatees possess a face with a small trunk-like appearance, resilient gray-colored skin, and minute bristle-like hair.

Permanently reside in water.

Manatees represent fully aquatic creatures, never departing from the water or venturing onto land for any reason. These substantial marine behemoths inhabit shallow, marshy coastal regions, springs, rivers, bays, canals, and estuaries, granting them access to extensive seagrass and other vegetation beds, their primary food source.

The three existing manatee species are distributed across different global regions, all confined to aquatic habitats. The West Indian manatee, T. manatus, resides in the shallow, marshy coastal areas and rivers of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The Amazonian manatee, T. inunguis, thrives in the Amazonian basin, while the West African manatee, T. senegalensis, populates the waters of West Africa.

Why do manatees never go on land?

1. They don’t need to come out to breathe.

Manatees have adapted to surviving in the water without the frequent need to breathe. They can stay in the water for up to 15 minutes without breathing, particularly when resting. Due to their low metabolic rate, manatees have no pressing need for oxygen to produce energy through respiration.

However, when active and playful, they do require more oxygen. Additionally, a swimming manatee will poke its nose above the water surface every few minutes to breathe in air.

2. They feed primarily on soft, aquatic vegetation.

Manatees are heavy feeders that rely on aquatic vegetation for survival. They spend most of their time grazing on mangrove leaves, seagrass, and other plants, eating five to ten percent of their body weight each day.

An average adult manatee may feed on 60 to 120 pounds of fresh plants daily. Because of their vegetarian diet, manatees are better suited to life in calmer water bodies with plenty of vegetation, such as estuaries and rivers that lead to coastal waters.

3. They can’t survive extreme cold.

Manatees not only have a low metabolic rate, they also lack blubber. Furthermore, they are not able to regulate their body temperature and are very vulnerable to extreme cold. For this reason, they would find it difficult to survive in the rapidly fluctuating temperatures on land.

Manatees prefer warm, comfortable waters of around 72 F (22 C), with the water being their natural source of warmth. Additionally, any prolonged exposure to water below 68 F (20 C) can cause them cold stress syndrome and death.

4. They have powerful tails for swimming.

With their large, strong tails, manatees are perfectly adapted to life in water. Although they usually prefer to swim at a slower 5 miles per hour (8km/hr), they can go faster at 15 miles per hour (24km/hr) when necessary, thanks to their well-built tails.

5. Lack of natural enemies in the water.

Manatees have no natural predators. They rarely face threats from sharks, alligators, and crocodiles. However, since humans have always hunted them for meat and sport, manatees are safer in the water than on land.

When a manatee is threatened, it responds by diving as deeply as it can in the waterโ€”from the usual 10 feet in the water to as deep as 33 feet. In fact, it is the height of a typical three-story building. The threats to manatees have always come from land dwellers, such as humans, rather than other water-dwelling creatures.

Enjoy an outing with the manatees.

Manatees are docile and friendly animals that spend most of their time grazing, swimming, and just floating in the water. It is easy to spend time with them by snorkeling in the water.

At Captain Mike’s Swimming with the Manatees, we offer tailored, private manatee tours that let you get close to these rare giants. Knowledgeable and experienced captains direct our guided manatee tours.

You will be taken to the best spots to find manatees and guided to safely interact with them without breaking the rules. The experience will be unforgettable.

For more information on manatees and manatee tours in Crystal River, Florida, visit Captain Mike’s Swimming with the Manatees website.

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