An Introduction to manatees

An Introduction to manatees

Species of manatees

There are three different spevies of manatees.

One species, call the West African manatee lives in Africa. A second species, called the Amazonian manatee, lives in South America. The West Indican manatee lives mostly in the Caribbean and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico but may move north during the spring and summer.

It is hard for scientists to know many West Indian manatees there are. They stimate between 2,000 to 5,000. The West Indian manatees has been listen as an endangered species. This means that the population is so low that the West indian manatee may become extinct. Many die because of accidents with ships or other human causes, such as pollution. Federal and state laws protect the manatee. Scientists are working to find ways to help the manatee survive.

Manatees are also known as sea cows. They are mammals that live under the water. They rise to the surface to breathe oxygen. They live in shallow water, usyally less than 7 feet deep. They eat plants, such as grass and algae.

questions

• How many species of manatees are there?

• What does "engangered species" mean?

• Where does the West Indian manatee mostly live?

• What do manatees eat?