Manatees:
A record number of manatees converged at a Florida state park recently.
- Manatees are large aquatic mammals, and sometimes they’re referred to as “sea cows.”
- They belong to a group of animals called Sirenia. This group also contains dugongs.
- Dugongs and manatees are very similar in appearance and behaviour, but there is one key difference, their tails.
- Manatees have paddle-shaped tails, and dugongs have fluked tails, giving it a whale-like appearance.
- Manatees inhabit shallow, marshy coastal areas and rivers.
- Conservation Status: Manatee species are listed as ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species.
