Home › Mammalia › Trichechidae › Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)
SPECIES PROFILE
Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)
Trichechus
IUCN STATUS
Threatened
CONSERVATION STATUS
Threatened
CLASS
Mammalia
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
Florida coasts year-round; ranges north along the Atlantic coast to Virginia in summer; uses warm springs and power plant outflows in winter
DIET
Herbivore
HABITAT
Shallow warm coastal waters, estuaries, rivers, and springs; must stay in water warmer than 20°C to avoid cold stress syndrome
🔬 Classification
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Mammalia
ORDER
Sirenia
FAMILY
Trichechidae
GENUS
Trichechus
📋 Description
SIZE
2.8–3.5 m; 400–550 kg
COLORATION
Rotund grey body tapering to a paddle-shaped tail; sparse bristly hairs; wrinkled skin; small close-set eyes; whiskered snout
ADAPTATIONS
Replaces all teeth continuously throughout life (marching molars); can hold breath for up to 20 minutes; uses herbivory to graze extensive seagrass beds
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Shallow warm coastal waters, estuaries, rivers, and springs; must stay in water warmer than 20°C to avoid cold stress syndrome
DIET
Herbivore
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
Florida coasts year-round; ranges north along the Atlantic coast to Virginia in summer; uses warm springs and power plant outflows in winter
REPRODUCTION
Single calf born year-round after 12-month gestation; calf nurses for 1–2 years; female reproduces every 2–5 years; low reproductive rate
DIET DETAILS
Seagrasses and freshwater aquatic plants including water hyacinth; can consume 10% of its body weight daily
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Boat strikes (propeller cuts are used to identify individual manatees); cold stress events; harmful algal blooms reducing seagrass; entanglement in fishing gear
💡 Interesting Facts
1
The Florida Manatee is thought to be the origin of mermaid legends — sailors throughout history mistook the large, slow-moving mammals for sea women at a distance.
2
Every Florida Manatee alive today can be individually identified by the pattern of propeller scars on its back from boat strikes — the scars accumulate over a lifetime of encounters.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Blue Spring State Park near Orange City, FL, has the best winter manatee aggregation easily viewed from a boardwalk
Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge near Crystal River, FL, allows guided snorkelling with manatees in winter
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge near Titusville, FL, has manatees in Indian River Lagoon year-round
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
Winter. Warm springs such as Crystal River and Blue Spring draw manatees October to March when Gulf waters cool.
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
November to March at Blue Spring State Park, Orange City, FL, and Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge for the highest concentrations.
