They live in shallow water, feeding on a wide variety of plant foods. For a day the manatee eats at least 30 kg of algae, for which it probably received its second name “sea cow”.
The American manatee is the most well-known and studied subspecies, which is endangered.
The American manatee lives in the shallow waters of the Atlantic coast of Central, North and South America. In winter, the manatees are held in the Florida area, migrate northward in summer, to the coastal areas of Virginia and Louisiana. In addition, the American manatee can be found south of the United States, near the islands of the Caribbean Sea, along the coasts of Central and South America to the north-eastern part of Brazil.
American manatees can adapt to both salt and fresh water. In search of food, they quietly ply from sea bays to the mouths of rivers and back. For a comfortable pastime manatees require at least 1-2 meters of depth, which is due to their large size. Depth of 3-5 meters for manatees is also quite acceptable, deeper than 6 meters animals usually do not descend.
