It helps to block out harmful rays from the sun that may potentially cause sunburn. The relationship between a mother and baby is the strongest social bond created by manatees. A mother manatee will carry her baby for about 12 months before it is born. A baby manatee is called a calf. The calf will stay close to the mother for up to two years to learn travel routes and the location of rest areas and warm water refuges.
Females generally give birth to a single calf every three to five years.
Manatees and dugongs inhabit warm waters of the Atlantic, Caribbean, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. There are approximately 2,200 Florida manatees in existence. Everywhere Sirenians are found, they are in danger of extinction. One member of the Sirenian family is already extinct. The Stellar sea cow, discovered in 1741, became extinct 27 years later due to constant hunting pressure.