West Indian Manatee

Hello from the water! My name is a bit long—I'm a West Indian Manatee—but most people just call me a sea cow. I think it’s because I’m a big, gentle animal who loves to eat plants! My home is in the warm, shallow coastal waters of the Americas, where the sun can reach the bottom and grow the tasty seagrass I love so much. I still remember the day I was born. My mother was right there beside me, and she gently pushed me to the surface so I could take my very first breath of air. For the next two years, I stuck close to her side like a shadow. She was the best teacher, showing me all the secret spots to find the greenest seagrass and the warmest pockets of water to rest in when the ocean felt a little chilly. She taught me everything I needed to know to survive on my own.

My days are very peaceful. As a gentle giant, I spend most of my time floating slowly and gracefully through the water. I am primarily an herbivore, feeding mainly on aquatic plants, but I occasionally consume invertebrates and fish. And I eat a lot of them! I can spend up to eight hours every single day just munching on delicious seagrass. It’s a good thing I have special tools to help me eat. My lips are very strong and grippy, which allows me to grab onto the tough stems of the seagrass and pull them up from the seafloor. Since my eyesight isn't the best in the sometimes-murky water, I rely on another amazing tool. I have sensitive whiskers, called vibrissae, not just on my face but all over my body. These whiskers help me feel vibrations in the water and understand the world around me. They act like tiny fingertips, telling me where plants are, if other manatees are nearby, or if I’m getting too close to a rock.

Even though my life is mostly calm, it isn’t always easy. My biggest challenges come from living in a world with more and more people. The greatest danger I face is from boats that move too fast through my shallow water home. It can be very hard to hear them coming, and it's difficult for a slow-moving animal like me to get out of the way in time. For a very long time, my family was in serious trouble, and our numbers were getting smaller and smaller. But then, a glimmer of hope appeared. In the United States, a very important law called the Endangered Species Act was created on December 28th, 1973. This law was designed to protect animals like me from disappearing forever. It was a huge turning point for all manatees, giving us special protection and a much better chance to thrive in our ocean home.

I have some wonderful news to share with you! Because of that important law from 1973, many people started working very hard to protect us and our habitats. They created special zones where boats have to go very slowly, and they taught people how important it is to be careful in the water. All of that hard work made a real difference. Slowly but surely, our numbers began to grow again. It was such a hopeful time for us! Then, in 2017, something amazing happened. Our status was officially updated from 'endangered' to 'threatened'. This doesn't mean all our problems are gone, but it’s a celebration of how much progress we’ve made. It shows that when people care and work together, they can make a huge difference for the future of animals like me.

Even though I am just one manatee, I have a very important job in my ecosystem. By munching on all that seagrass every day, I act like an underwater gardener. I keep the seagrass beds trimmed down, which helps them stay healthy and grow strong. This is very important because healthy seagrass beds provide a safe home and plenty of food for countless little fish and other small sea creatures. My story shows that every living thing, no matter how big or small, has a special role to play in the great, beautiful web of life. We all work together to keep our amazing blue planet healthy and full of wonder. I am still swimming in the warm waters today.