They are able to nibble on plants a few weeks after birth. They stay with mother for up to two years learning about feeding, resting areas, travel routes and warm water refuges. When traveling, calves ride on the cow's back. Manatees swim two to six miles per hour. They have been clocked at a speed of 15 miles per hour in short spurts.
Manatees swim alone, in pairs or in small groups of three to six animals.
They use their tails to propel themselves and to control movements. Flippers are used to stabilize and for precise movements. Also, in shallow water, they use their flippers to walk on the bottom. Manatees are herbivorous animals that eat submerged, floating, emergent and shoreline vegetation. Manatees feed on over 60 species of plants.