The manatee is a large marine mammal with teeth, a thick grey and wrinkled skin, two flippers and a large flat tail. He is completely herbivorous, slow-moving and extremely gentle. We find him in shallow waters where sea grass growth is stimulated by sunlight- like estuaries, slow-moving rivers, saltwater bays, canals, coastal areas, etc.
Despite the fact that manatees don’t have any enemies, they face many threats and are close to extinction today. Indeed, as they are mammals, they need to surface regularly to breathe air, every 3 to 5 minutes; consequently, the most important cause of manatees’ death are collisions with powerboats and their propeller. The destruction of their habitat caused by human development is also a threat, as well as the ingestion of fish hooks, litter or natural diseases. On top of that, manatees have a low reproductive rate.
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