The children think it is shaped like a potato with a little head. They also have a broad flat tail. They have two flippers with toenails on them. They are two nostrils that have muscles to open and close them when they come up for air. They are gray-brown.
Manatees eat sea grasses.
The manatee is gentle, playful and curious. They are mammals so they must come to the surface of the water to breathe. It must eat a lot of sea grass to live so it is always looking for food. They like shallow rivers and coastal waters. They don't have homes but they need safe waters in which to live.