manatee

Everyday

A large, slow, gentle plant-eating mammal that lives in warm coastal waters and rivers; it has flippers, a round paddle-shaped tail and is sometimes called a sea cow. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons manatees are mammals, not fish: they breathe air and feed their babies milk. They live in Florida, the Caribbean, West Africa and the Amazon. Boat propellers often injure them, so boats go slowly in «manatee zones». Sailors long ago may have mistaken them for mermaids. Phrases: «manatee zone», «sea cow».

Examples

• A manatee eats sea grass all day. tree →
• Manatees come up to the surface to breathe. tree →
• Slow down — this is a manatee zone. tree →
• Baby manatees drink their mother's milk. tree →
• Many manatees have scars from boat propellers. tree →
• Old sailors thought manatees were mermaids. tree →

Note

Countable. Say MAN-uh-tee. Close relative: the dugong. Myth: they are not related to whales or seals; their closest land relatives are elephants.