Manatees (family Trichechidae, genus Trichechus) are large aquatic mammals sometimes known as sea cows. Manatee is the English respelling of the Spanish manatí; the word itself is of Carib Indian origin meaning ‘breast.’

The Trichechidae differ from the Dugongidae in the shape of the skull and the shape of the tail. Dugongs have a forked tail, similar in shape to a whale’s, while manatees’ tails are paddle-shaped. They are herbivores, spending most of their time grazing in shallow waters, and can weigh anywhere from 500 to 1000 kg.

Manatees inhabit the shallow, marshy coastal areas and rivers of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico (T. manatus, West Indian manatee), the Amazon basin (T. inunguis, Amazonian manatee), and West Africa (T. senegalensis, African manatee). They spend half of their day sleeping in the water, surfacing for air every 20 minutes.

Manatee with calf.