Check out the manatees in the vid above. They're pretty incredible aren't they?
Here's 5 things I didn't know about Manatees:
1) They are herbivores
This means they won't eat you, or any other meat. They mainly just eat algae and other underwater plants.
2) They are huge!
They measure up to 13 feet (4.0 m) long, and weigh as much as 1,300 pounds (590 kg).
3) They are threatened
There are only about 2000 manatees in the U.S. and they are threatened by environmental change. They are also often caught in boat propellers, leaving them maimed or killed.
4) They are really smart
Manatees have some intelligent faculties comparable to dolphins, especially in long term memory.
5) They are slow
Manatees swim about 5 to 8 kilometres per hour (3.1 to 5.0 mph). They can go a little bit faster when they need to, but overall, they are pretty slow.
Are they safe to swim with?
I've heard of places where you can swim with manatees (like here), but I was wondering if they would be dangerous. After I saw the following video I wasn't as worried.
Since manatees are slow, and herbivores, they would likely attack you. Even if they tried to, they're pretty slow!
Source: wikipedia.org
