Manatee Adaptations

By: Charlotte Rogers

Manatees Habitat
"Manatees can be found in the warm waters of shallow
rivers, bays, estuaries and coastal waters. Rarely do
individuals venture into waters below 68 degrees
Fahrenheit.
"Manatees take up residence primarily in Floridas coastal
waters during winter. Some individuals migrate as far
north as the Carolinas or as far west as Louisiana in
summer. Manatees have swam as far north as Cape Cod,
Massachusetts in recent years."
- Defenders.org

What Is Adaptation?
"An adaptation is a physical or behavioral characteristic
that has developed to allow an organism to better survive
in its environment. Adaptations are the result of
evolutionand may occur when a gene mutates, or
changes by accident."
- Jennifer Kennedy, Marine Life Expert

Physical Adaptations
EYES:
Manatees may have small eyes, but despite the size, they can see very well. Do manatees have
eyelashes? No, manatees have a protective covering called a nictitating membrane which can
cover the eye to protect it.
WHISKERS:
Facial whiskers on the manatee's head give it another sensory tool. Called "vibrissae", these facial
whiskers are as sensitive as our fingers. In fact, scientists at Mote Marine Lab have trained
manatees to choose between two targets using only the vibrissae. How? The manatees are
blindfolded and then they touch two targets that have different width grooves or ridges with their
whiskers-and they can tell the difference between the two!
LIPS:
Manatees have very unique lips that help them gather, grasp and manipulate food. Since manatees
don't have hands, their prehensile lips are very important, helping the manatee eat almost like the
elephant's trunk helps it eat. The manatee's lips involve a large, split upper lip. The left and right
sides can move independently to move the food into place-almost like a separated lip and each one
they can use to manipulate things in their environment very, very well.

Behavioral Adaptations
Warm Water
Manatees tend to stay in warmer, coastal waters. This is
because manatees cannot survive in water that is 68
degrees or below for very long.
Offspring:
After giving birth, the mother drags the baby to the
surface for its first breath. After that, it can swim and
breathe on its own. Calves nurse for milk, but can
consume vegetation within three weeks after birth, an
adaptation that enables maximum growth speed.

Source Citations
I'd like to give a special thanks to the following sources:

- Kennedy, Jennifer. "What Is an Adaptation? - Definition and Examples." Http://marine.about.com.

N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.
- "Journey North Manatees." Journey North Manatees. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.
- "Basic Facts About Florida Manatees." Defenders of Wildlife. N.p., 15 Feb. 2012. Web. 16 Mar.
2015.
- "Animal's Physical and Behavioral Adaptations." Manatees. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2015
- Fielder, Dan. "What Are the Manatee's Adaptations for Survival?" EHow. Demand Media, 20 May
2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2015.