HOLY SEA COW! Test Your Manatee Know-How
Hit your friends with these fun facts during your next paddle session and keep your eyes peeled for these gentle giants drifting below your board!
FUN FACTS
- Manatees’ closest relative is the elephan.t
- Manatees move at a speed of about 5mph but are surprisingly agile, able to swim vertically, upside down, barrel roll, and do somersaults.
- These herbivores eat 10-15% of their body weight each day.
- Manatees are constantly losing and regrowing their teeth.
- Manatees can weigh anywhere from 1,000 to 3,500 pounds.
- They love warm water and are not able to survive in water temperatures below 60 degrees.
- Manatee Appreciation Day was started by the Save the Manatees Club founded by Jimmy Buffet and former US Senator Bob Graham.
STEPS TO PROTECT
It’s up to all of us to work together to ensure manatees—and all other marine life—is free to thrive for years to come. Here’s a few ways you can do your part when you’re out on the water.
- Make room for manatees. Take precautions while boating to avoid harming these creatures.
- Never litter the waterways these animals and so many more call home. Leave nothing but a wake in the water.
- If you encounter a manatee—or any other wildlife—during a SUP session, observe them quietly and respectfully in their natural habitat.
- Participate in beach, park, or roadside clean ups.
- Avoid using fertilizer that can feed algae growth that impacts manatees.
- Show your support for projects and policies that benefit manatees.
