![]() They even have a special nictitating membrane that protects the eyeball from hazards. They are able to distinguish different sized objects, colors, and patterns. I see you. While a manatee’s eyes may appear small, their vision is acute. Manatees seek out the warm waters of Florida, the Amazon, and Africa, depending upon the species. The bones in the flippers are similar to a human hand, with jointed finger bones. Manatees have two good-sized front flippers, each with three to four “fingernails,” except the Amazon manatee, which has no nails (its Latin species name “inunguis” means “without nails”). So manatees cannot turn their head-they must turn their whole body to see what’s going on behind or to the side of them. ![]() Speaking of bones, manatees have only six neck vertebrae, while most other mammals (including humans and giraffes) have seven (the tree sloth is the only other exception). Interestingly, the manatee’s rib bones are solid, lacking red blood cell-making marrow-its sternum (breastbone) is where marrow is found. The manatee skeleton is made of very dense bone (pachyostotic) a condition that may contribute to its “neutral buoyancy,” meaning its physical body density is equal to the water in which it swims. They often linger near the surface of the water, where they can suffer collisions with speedboats and other vessels. Manatees usually travel at about 5 miles per hour (8 kilometers per hour), but in a pinch they can pick up the pace to 15 miles per hour (24 kilometers per hour). The bones in manatee flippers are similar to a human hand, with jointed finger bones.īuilt for speed. Overall, manatees appear slow moving and cumbersome, but they are graceful and can be swift underwater. There are three known species of this marine mammal, each named for the area where they they live: the West Indian manatee ranges along the east coast of the Americas from Florida to Brazil Amazon manatees inhabit the Amazon River and the African variety survives along rivers and the west coast of Africa. Part of the manatees’ charm is the wrinkled face with whiskers on its broad snout. These large, gray aquatic herbivores have rotund bodies that taper to a flat, paddle-shaped tail, which propels them through the water. They are also known as sea cows, but despite this nickname, they are more closely related to elephants. Manatees are the roly-poly “teddy bears” of the sea.
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