The Biggest Water Herbivore, Manatee!🦭

    


Source: www.marinemammalcenter.org

    Manatee is the largest aquatic mammal that belongs to the family Trichechidae. This animal is included in the herbivore because it has a hobby of grazing in shallow seas.

    Manatees are marine animals that have almost the same characteristics as dugongs. The thing that distinguishes manatees from dugongs is the shape of their tails. Manatees have a tail like a paddle while dugongs have a forked tail. The uniqueness of this herbivore is that the manatee has no neck bones so it has to turn its body to look in all directions. In addition, manatees are animals that eat a lot. Manatees can eat up to 1/10 of their body weight in 24 hours.

    Despite having a big body, Manatee is an agile animal. It can swim at a speed of 30km/hour. This animal can swim in various styles such as vertical, upside down, somersault, and barrel roll. Manatee is also an intelligent animal. Its intelligence is equivalent to a dolphin's because it can understand and carry out orders from humans.

    According to national geographic, manatees can be divided into three types namely: West Indian Manatee, Amazonian Manatee, and African Manatee. In general, manatees weigh about 500 kilograms and have a body length of 3 meters. Manatees are protected animals because their population continues to decline due to hunting by humans who use their skin, oil, and bones.



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