The manatee is a large animal and weighs several tons. These manatees are about 13 feet long and eat more then a 100 pounds of under water plants in a day. Their weight is about 3,500 . They are aquatic mammals have paddle-like feet, forelimbs,no hindlimbs and a flattend muzzles. Sometimes the manatee is called a sea cow.
Most manatees live in rivers and bays in Florida.
In South America, manatees have been used to keep water ways free of kelp. A manatee has dark gray skin with bristy hairs all over its body. Its front legs are paddle shaped,and its tail is rounded. The Manatee speeds slowly on aquatic vegetation. It may spend up to eight hours a day grazing.