Manatee [Trichechus]

Description

Manatees are gentle, slow-moving herbivores that often cruise near seagrass beds and calm, shallow waters. Divers may spot them gliding with relaxed body language, sometimes pausing to graze on underwater vegetation or investigating with curious, whiskered faces.

Species

West Indian Manatee

Trichechus manatus

Amazonian Manatee

Trichechus inunguis

African Manatee

Trichechus senegalensis

Taxonomy