Manatees migrate over wide areas of the Southeastern United States coast, making it difficult to establish preserves to protect them. They adapt well to fresh or salt water. As an endangered species, manatees are now protected by state and federal laws that make it illegal for anyone to harm or capture them. Though bulky, they glide through the water with grace, turning and tumbling with the playfulness of a child. The adult females reproduce slowly, only once every two to five years, with a gestation period of 13 months.
Adults reach sexual maturity at roughly seven years.
They exhibit little fear and no hostility towards humans. Their food supply of aquatic plants may be affected by the quality of fresh water flow into the ocean. Manatees need to eat about 10 percent of their body weight in plants every day. Beyond the danger of boating accidents, manatees also die of red tide poisoning. The small mollusks with the red tide toxins live on the aquatic plants that the manatees ingest.