Manatees are able to sense odors in the water. Streamlined body, full around the middle, narrowing to a paddle-shaped tail. Manatees have fingernails at the tips of their flippers. Their large flexible upper lip helps to guide vegetation into their mouths. Their teeth include 24 to 32 molars in the back of the mouth.
Manatees have a nictitating membrane which is an extra inner eyelid protecting the eye.
They have blubber under their thick skin to protect them from the cold. In water less than 68 degrees, they are in danger. Females are able to mate around age five but are not able to raise their young until age seven or eight. Once a female is ready to mate, she produces a special scent. After mating the male leaves and the female is left to raise her young on her own.