When they swim together, the baby may hold onto the mother's back with its tiny flippers. The calf will remain dependent on its mother for up to two years. Mother and calf communicate by continual chirps and squeaks. Copulation, in various postures, takes place in the water. An oestrous female may be pursued for weeks by several ardent males who compete to mate with her.
Manatees are migratory animals adapted to both saltwater and freshwater habitats.
In the summer months, they can be found as far west as Alabama and as far north as Virginia and the Carolinas - very rarely, even further north. They can also be found around islands of Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. The Amazonian manatee is the smallest of the three manatee species and lives exclusively in freshwater habitats. A few still live in Ecuador, Peru, and Columbia. Manatees can live up to 60 years.