It’s a mermaid? It’s a walrus? No, it’s a manatee, the slow and graceful elephant of the sea. Once thought by sailors to be mermaids, these gentle giants can grow as long as 13ft/4m and weigh up to 1300 lbs/600 kgs! These graceful swimmers usually move pretty slowly, but can manage speeds up to 15 mph/24 kmh in short bursts. Much like dolphins, manatees are mammals and need to come to the surface of the water every 3 or 4 minutes to breathe fresh air. Manatees are herbivores, eating as much as one tenth of their body weight in sea plants on a daily basis, the equivalent of 200 heads of lettuce. Sometimes referred to as sea cows, the manatee has no natural enemy and is a peaceful creature. Unfortunately because they move so slowly, they often can not get out of the way of fast moving boats and can suffer injuries from propellers. Manatees are generally solitary creatures, only seeking company when they are looking to breed. Calves are born underwater and pushed to the surface by their mother for air. They weigh about 70 lbs/30 kg at birth and can often swim on their own within an hour of entering the world. Baby manatees stay with their mothers for up to two and a half years, learning to eat sea plants after a few months but continuing to drink their mother’s milk. Manatees communicate with clicks and chirping sounds and can be heard “squealing” when at play.
Manatee encounter
Dolphin Discovery offers you a unique opportunity to swim with these incredible creatures in our Cozumel facility. We offer the only swim with manatees program in the Caribbean, a once in a lifetime chance to get up close and personal with a manatee, share a kiss and even feed them their lunch. Manatees are an endangered species and are in need of protection and the help of humans to survive. Dolphin Discovery is proud to have expert veterinarians onsite to provide the utmost care to these special beings, performing rescues and managing a breeding program to ensure the continuation of the species. Book your Manatee Encounter program in Cozumel now to create memories of a lifetime.