Welcome to the Gallery!

This is the gallery of HelpManatee.com, where interesting facts and images are coupled to exhibit a wider range of knowledge about manatees and their behavior.  Enjoy!

Have you ever seen a manatee?  Please e-mail us your personal account, and you'll see it on the site!

Fact:

The oldest manatee in captivity is named Snooty.  He was born July 21, 1948 at the Miami Seaquarium.  That's him, right above, popping up to say hi.  

Manatees are most closely related to elephants.  They even share the same bone structure!!

Fact:

Manatees grow new teeth!!  Their teeth fall out ceaselessly throughout their life (see above picture of tooth), so it's a good thing they always have some in production.

Fact:

Manatees can't survive cold weather.  So when it does get cold, manatees have been known to cluster at power plants, where warm water flows from the plant's machinery.  If the manatee can't get warm, it may develop nasty-looking, cream-colored rashes on its skin, known as cold stress.

Fact:

If you ever see a baby manatee attached to the area under her mother's flipper, it's because that's where her milk is.  Baby manatees weigh about sixty pounds at birth and nurse for three months.

Fact:

Manatees are endangered.  This means that human protection is needed to help them, even though their numbers are dwindling due to our boats striking them as they swim. 

Dugongs are Different

The animal at left is a dugong, not a manatee.  Although manatees and dugongs belong to the same group of animals, the dugongs look a lot different.  Their noses are different, and their tail is shaped more like a dolphin's than like a paddle.

Back to Top