OtterKnow Kids EncyclopediaManatees are big, gentle animals that live in warm water. They are sometimes called sea cows because they move slowly and eat plants, just like cows on land! Manatees are very friendly and calm animals.
Manatees have large, round bodies with gray or brown skin. They have flat, paddle-shaped tails and two small flippers. Manatees are mammals, so they have to come up to the surface to breathe air.
- Baby manatees stay close to their mothers and even ride on their backs.
- Manatees are related to elephants!
- Even though they live in the water, manatees have fingernails on their flippers, just like their elephant cousins.
