The West Indian manatee feeds on sea grass in tropical shallow waters, estuaries, and rivers. Anterior mammary glands like those of humans probably led to the stories of them being mermaids.
Manatees range from Florida to the Atlantic coast of central Brazil.
Females give birth to a single calf once every two years and the calf is weaned at 12 to 18 months. Their lifespan is about 28 years in captivity, less in the wild. They are greyish-brown and hairless. The manatee is the closest living relative of the elephant. This mature female shows a high-powered rifle bullet hole in the 9 th right rib.