U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Toggle navigationUtility (Top) navigationAbout Us ForwardBackAbout UsMission & VisionLeadershipOur OrganizationOur FacilitiesRegionsLaws & Regulations ForwardBackLaws & RegulationsLaws, Agreements & TreatiesHunting RegulationsLibrary ForwardBackLibraryCategoriesCollectionsHomeServices ForwardBackServicesDuck Stamps ForwardBackDuck StampsBuy a Duck Stamp or E-StampBuy a Junior Duck StampFish StockingImporting & ExportingConsultation & Technical Assistance ForwardBackConsultation & Technical AssistanceESA Section 7 ConsultationHabitat Conservation Planning (HCPs)Candidate Conservation Agreements (CCA & CCAA)Safe Harbour Agreements (SHA)Conservation BankingCoastal Barrier Resources Act Project ConsultationCoastal Barrier Resources System Property DocumentationFinancial AssistanceSpecies ManagementInvestigational New Animal Drugs (INADS)PermitsSearch All ServicesDuck Stamps One of the easiest ways that anyone can support bird habitat conservation is by buying duck stamps.Species ForwardBackSpeciesExplore Taxonomic TreeFind a SpeciesInterest story Bats: “The Coolest Mammals on Earth”Visit Us ForwardBackVisit UsEventsRecreation PassesOutdoor RecreationWhere to HuntWhere to FishOur LocationsScenic Drives Tour routes of great scenic drives on National Wildlife Refuges.Get Involved ForwardBackGet InvolvedCareers and InternshipsVolunteeringFriends PartnershipsLearning OpportunitiesEducation ProgramsEventsPartnerships ForwardBackPartnershipsPartnership CategoriesPartner ListVolunteer Search for volunteer opportunities around the countryNewsroom ForwardBackNewsroomPress ReleasesCongressional TestimonyMedia ContactsWild Things News about wonderful wild things and placesInitiatives ForwardBackInitiativesCombating Wildlife TraffickingDirector's PrioritiesClimate ChangeHuntingFishingInvasive SpeciesPollinatorsProtecting WildlifeClimate Action FWS is taking steps to mitigate climate impactsI want to ForwardBackI Want ToReport Wildlife CrimeDo Business with FWSVolunteerFind a Job or InternshipVisit a RefugeBuy a Duck StampApply for a PermitFind FundingFind TrainingWild work Search employment opportunities with USFWSSearchSearchSearchEnter the terms you wish to search for. × ManateeImage Details
 View ProfileFWS Focusoverview characteristics geography timeline information & media contactOverviewCharacteristicsOverviewThe West Indian manatee is a large, aquatic mammal. There are two subspecies of West Indian manatees: the Antillean manatee (*Trichechus manatus manatus*) and the Florida manatee (*Trichechus manatus latirostris*). Due to their eating habits, manatees are nicknamed *sea cows,* because they eat seagrasses and other aquatic plants.Manatees are protected under the Endangered Species Act and under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.Today, the range-wide population is estimated to be at least 13,000 manatees, with more than 6,500 in the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico. When aerial surveys began in 1991, there were an estimated 1,267 manatees in Florida. Today there are more than 6,300 in Florida, representing a significant increase over the past 25 years.Scientific NameTrichechus manatusCommon NameWest Indian ManateemanateeCaribbean manateeFWS CategoryMammalsKingdomAnimaliaLocation in Taxonomic TreeGenusTrichechusSpeciesTrichechus manatusIdentification NumbersTSN:180684Characteristics Characteristic categoryPhysical CharacteristicsCharacteristicsColor & PatternManatees are typically greyish brown in color. They have sparse hairs spread across their bodies, with bristles about the muzzle.Size & ShapeManatees are large, elongated marine mammals with paired flippers and a large, spoon-shaped tail. They can reach lengths of more than 14 feet.WeightManatees can weigh more than 3,000 pounds.Characteristic categoryHabitatCharacteristicsHabitatManatees live in marine, brackish and freshwater systems in coastal and riverine areas throughout their range. Preferred habitats include areas near the shore featuring underwater vegetation like seagrass and eelgrass. They feed along grass bed margins with access to deep water channels, where they flee when threatened. Florida manatees can be found throughout Florida for most of the year. However, they cannot tolerate temperatures below 68 degrees Fahrenheit for extended periods of time, and during the winter months these cold temperatures keep the population concentrated in peninsular Florida. Many manatees rely on the warm water from natural springs and power plant outfalls.During the summer manatees expand their range, and on rare occasions are seen as far north as Massachusetts on the Atlantic coast and as far west as Texas on the Gulf coast. Manatees may travel hundreds of miles during a year’s time, preferring to travel along channels and shorelines.MarineHaving to do with waterCoastalRiver or StreamGeography CharacteristicsRangeHistorically, West Indian manatees were found along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, throughout the Caribbean and as far south as Brazil’s Atlantic coastline. However, due to hunting, habitat fragmentation and loss and other factors, manatees have disappeared from various parts of their range. For example, manatee hunts were common until the early 1900s, and as a result the species is no longer found in Guadeloupe and other islands in the Lesser Antilles.Today manatees are found in the southeastern U.S., eastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panamá, Nicaragua, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and in the Bahamas.Launch Interactive MapTimelineExplore the information available for this taxon's timeline. You can select an event on the timeline to view more information, or cycle through the content available in the carousel below.55 ItemsKey:EventRegulatory Status Change
 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service LogoWorking with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.Footer Menu - EmploymentCareers & InternshipsContractingFooter Menu - Site LinksLeadershipFrequently Asked QuestionsContact FWSFooter Menu - LegalAccessibilityFreedom of Information ActNoticesPrivacy PolicyDisclaimersInformation QualityVulnerability Disclosure PolicyFooter Menu - External LinksDOIUSA.GOV




You are exiting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website You are being directed to We do not guarantee that the websites we link to comply with Section 508 (Accessibility Requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act. Links also do not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I Understand. Take me there. Cancel