Manatee Trivia (Part 2)!
The Florida Manatee
Greetings! I thought it would be fun in continuing my manatee trivia for you. So here is the second installment. You’ll definitely impress your friends and family with your newfound manatee knowledge!
Once again, manatees are very large marine mammals with two flippers and a body tapering down to a paddle-shaped tail.
Ok – here’s some more cool manatee trivia in the form of a Q&A session…
- What is the average size of a Florida manatee?
The Florida manatee’s average size is 8 to 10 feet long and it has an average weight between 800 to 1,200 pounds! There have been occasions where the Florida manatee grew to 13 feet long and weighed 3,500 pounds! Clearly, the manatee is one of the biggest mammals in the world!
- What is the reproductive rate of a manatee?
As with the majority of large mammals, the manatee actually has a low reproductive rate. On average, one manatee calf is born every 2 to 5 years!
- Can a manatee ever leave the water?
No. The manatee lives in water its entire life.
- Why is a manatee called a marine mammal?
Because the manatee lives in water (marine) and it also needs to breathe air (mammal) to keep it alive.
- How long can a manatee stay underwater before it needs to surface and breathe air?
A manatee surfaces for air every 3 to 5 minutes. However, when the manatee sleeps, it can actually stay underwater for lengths up to 20 minutes!
- Do manatees eat and sleep the same time each day?
No! The manatee has no daily schedule! Sometimes it sleeps during the daytime and eats all night. And sometimes it eats all day and sleeps at night. A manatee spends most of its time eating, traveling and resting. Not a bad life!
- How fast can a manatee swim?
Generally, the manatee can swim between 3 to 5 miles per hour. However, in short busts, it can swim as fast as 20 miles per hour!
- What gives manatees their swimming power?
It is the manatee’s paddle-shaped tail that is their swimming motor! The manatee’s flippers help steer the marine mammal.
- How would you describe a manatee’s shape?
The manatee’s shape has a whale-like body, which tapers down to its paddle-shaped tail. However, the Dugong has a fluke-shaped tail that looks much like a shark’s tail and a whale’s tail. Also, the Steller’s Sea Cow (extinct) had a fluke-shaped tail.
Stay tuned for my third installment on manatee trivia!
If you are in Florida and you see a sick or injured manatee, please call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at: 1-888-404-FWCC. They are the folks who are responsible for rescuing us in Florida.
Here’s the Save the Manatee Club link to learn more about us manatees …
Here’s a cool link for you to learn more about how we’re rescued and brought into rehabilitation …
~ Kobee Manatee
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Manatee Trivia (Part 1)! March 29, 2017
