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The West Indian manatee is a large, grey aquatic mammal with bilateral symmetry. They have a paddle shaped tail and fins with three to four nails on each fin. The manatee has a wrinkled face with whiskers on the end of his snout. The average adult manatee is about 10 feet long and weighs between 800 to 12,000 pounds.
The manatee has no natural predators and are often said to live up to 60 years old or more.
The manatee has no natural predators and are often said to live up to 60 years old or more.
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A number of manatees have unnatural human related fatalities involved by being struck by water craft. Since manatees are naturally slow moving mammals, living in shallow waters, they often get hit and run over by boats and cut by the boats propellers. Other human-related deaths are caused from them being crushed or drowned in canal locks and flood control structures, ingestion of fish hooks, litter in the water, and entanglement of crab trap lines. Many manatee deaths are also from natural causes such as cold stress, gastrointestinal disease, pneumonia, and other diseases.
The West Indian manatee is related to the West African manatee, the Amazonian manatee, the dugong, and Steller's sea cow, which was hunted to extinction in 1786.
The manatee is closest relatives to the elephant and the hyrax (a small, gopher-sized animal).
The West Indian manatee is related to the West African manatee, the Amazonian manatee, the dugong, and Steller's sea cow, which was hunted to extinction in 1786.
The manatee is closest relatives to the elephant and the hyrax (a small, gopher-sized animal).
"Manatee Facts." Manatee Facts. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.
"Manatee Habitat and Description." Web. 13 Mar. 2015.