People have hunted manatees for food as well as for their hides, oil and bones. Manatees can be expected to live 50 to 60 years. Grayish brown in color. These whiskers are sensitive to touch and are used as feelers for identifying food. It is almost impossible to tell males from females without observing their underside.
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.