Feed the manatees with algae growing in shallow water. Algae are not too nutritious, so animals are forced to absorb them in large quantities – every day they eat at least 30 kg.
Manatees eat any vegetable food that they find on the way. With their mobile upper lip they grab the leaves and dig out the roots of the plants. Sometimes they can feed on invertebrates and fish. In captivity, manatees gladly eat vegetables and fruits: tomatoes, apples, melons, bananas, lettuce, etc.
Manatees spend most of the time at the surface of the water and once every 1.5-2 minutes they vykyrivayut to breathe in and out: nostrils open slightly for 2 seconds (in special cases, a pause between the breath can reach 10-16 minutes). The rest of the time their nostrils are reliably closed by valves.
Manatees are single animals, but during the mating season they gather in groups: about 20 males chase the female and try to win her attention. Mating occurs in shallow water. Pregnancy lasts for a year. Usually a single calf (rarely two) is born 1 m long and weighs about 16 kg. The baby has molars at birth, and can eat algae, but the mother feeds it with breast milk for 18 months. Cubs grow slowly, only after 3 years they grow to a length of 2 m. They reach sexual maturity in 3-4 years.
