Na m e : _______________________________________ Date: _____________________
Directions: Read the passage, then answer the questions.
Read closely and you will learn many details
about manatees.
- True or false? Manatees are fish. ____
- What three things do manatees spend most of their time doing? ___
- What do manatees eat? ____
- How much do manatees eat each day? __
- What may a manatee do if it is using lots of energy? __
- Where are manatees found? ____
- Manatees are a ____ species.
- In what state are manatees concentrated in the winter? _____
- In the summer, manatees can be found as far north as ____
- True or false? It is illegal to annoy a resting manatee. _____
Manatees
Manatees are gentle, slow-moving marine mammals.
Most of their time is spent eating, resting, and traveling.
Manatees are completely herbivorous. They eat plants
and can consume up to 15 percent of their body weight
daily. They graze for food along water bottoms and on the
surface. They may rest submerged at the bottom of the
water or just below the surface, coming up to breathe every three to five minutes. When
manatees are using a great deal of energy, they may surface to breathe as often as every
30 seconds.
Manatees can be found in shallow, calm rivers, estuaries, saltwater bays, canals, and
coastal areas. The manatee is a migratory species. Within the United States, manatees are
concentrated in Florida in the winter but can be found in summer months as far west as
Alabama, and as far north as Virginia and the Carolinas. West Indian manatees can also
be found in the coastal and inland waterways of Central America and along the northern
coast of South America.
Manatees are protected in the United States under federal law by the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. It is illegal to harass,
hunt, capture, or kill any marine mammal. The Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978
also protects manatees. It states: “It is unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally
or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb any manatee.”
