One of the cutest mammals of the sea has to be the manatee, which happens to be an endangered species. With three different species of manatees currently known to exist, I'm going to focus on the West Indian manatees which tend to live in the warm ocean and river waters of Florida and surrounding areas. These guys spend most of their time in the ocean but are also known to populate brackish waters of rivers and areas with only freshwater. When they aren't in Florida during the winter months, they are known to migrate north during the summer months. Sea cows are known to grow up to ten feet long and weigh in as much as 1200 pounds. Many of them tend to travel in groups, but some like to live a solitary life… Like the one that showed up in New York!

Manatees are indeed mammals, meaning that they must breathe air if they want to keep on living. Normally they just chill underwater, but every so often they come back up to the surface to breathe. They can hold their breath for up to twenty minutes, but are usually up every few minutes. Although they usually don't travel fast (they average around five miles per hour) some manatees can reach speeds up to twenty miles per hour! But since they are pretty slow, they get a nice coating of algae on them, as they provide the perfect environment for algae growth.

Manatee in Mexico, Meghan Pentak

These chubby guys are really good at three things: eating (up to 15% of their weight a day!), sleeping, and swimming… Although there's a fourth thing I've realized they're pretty good at. They will spend up to half of their day sleeping and another seven hours eating. These sea cows are mainly herbivores, eating the vegetation they find along their travels. Manatees will eat both submerged and floating plants, and on occasion they will snack upon small fish and invertebrates. When I played with manatees in Mexico I noticed some of their favorite treats were lettuce, broccoli, and carrots. Although it's stated that they're intelligent, these guys were nothing compared to dolphins- the only tricks they knew were how to roll over and open their nostrils… And pass gas. Their fourth talent. And yeah, I said that. When swimming with them you would just see bubbles come up from their backend pretty frequently. Maybe that's why they're referred to as sea cows… 

Manatee eating Broccoli, Meghan Pentak

Although manatees are very docile and have no known natural predators, this species is endangered. With only 4,831 of these guys left in the wild as of January 2014, it's important to take the time and learn how to protect them. Once the subject of hunting as a result of their hides, oils, and bones, there are now laws in place to protect this mammal. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, it is now illegal to harass, hunt, capture, or kill any marine mammal. The West Indian Manatees in particular are also protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978. Even though all of these laws are in place to protect manatees, they are often still in danger in their natural habitats. The main cause of injury to sea cows is boats. Since they are very slow moving and tend to stay towards the surface, they are often cut by propellors and hit by vessels. They are also known to have died by other causes such as: being crushed by canal locks, ingesting fishing hooks and litter, and being caught in lines and nets. So how do we make sure they stay protected and don't die out?

Manatee in Mexico, Meghan Pentak

When boating is it crucial to stay in deeper, less vegetated areas when possible, as manatees tend to swim in more shallow areas that are more vegetated. Also, just use your eyes and look out for them, and actually pay attention to speed zone signs- they're there for a reason. An easy thing to do is just pick up your trash; don't let any litter get into the water, where it may be ingested by a marine mammal. And if you do see a manatee when you're in the water, don't attempt to feed or touch it. Even though they're awesome, docile creatures, they're still wild animals that should be left alone. Plus you're kind of breaking the no harassment law if you do touch them…