File:Manatee swimming close to shore - DPLA - 1160e7106f8c27765b4fab999ee6e01d.jpg

35 mm slide; color. Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Chordata; Class: Mammalia; Order: Sirenia; Family: Trichechidae; Genus: Trichechus; Genus species: Trichechus inunguis. Animal characteristics: Head-Body Length: 2.5-3 m; Weight: 300-500 kg; Identification: The manatee is gray with white patches on its chest and abdomen. Its body is covered with fine hair and bristles; Habitat: Lakes, oxbows and lagoons with dense vegetation; Diet: Herbivore: aquatic vegetation; Reproduction: Manatees have no distinct breeding season. The gestation period is about one year, and only one young is born at a time. Manatees can live for more than 30 years; Social Structure: Manatees live in small groups of 4-8 individuals, with the strongest bonds being between a mother and her offspring; Behavior: Manatees are active during the day and at night. Even though they live their entire lives underwater, manatees still need to breathe air like all mammals; Status: Endangered: pollution, often seriously injured by boat propellers, hunted by Amazonian Indians, hides are used to make water hoses and machine belts; Interesting Facts: A manatee may go weeks without eating during the dry season. Sailors used to think that manatees were mermaids. Manatees are also known as sea cows.