Uploaded April 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
We booked a semi-private tour with Fun 2 Dive for $75 per person. This included wetsuit and mask rentals.
The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) also known as the North American manatee, is the largest member of the Sirenia order (which also includes the dugong). There are two subspecies: the Florida manatee (T. m. latirostris) and the Caribbean manatee (T. m. manatus). Florida manatees inhabit the most northern limit of Sirenian habitats.
The West Indian manatee was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in the 1970s, when there were only several hundred left. Since then, significant efforts were made to protect this species. In 2017, the West Indian manatee was reclassified as threatened given a substantial increase in their population. Their population is now at 13,000 individuals!
However, even with the downlisting of their status, all federal protections for the West Indian manatee under the Endangered Species Act remain in place. The West Indian manatee is also protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978, which states that “it is unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb any manatee” as well as the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 which prohibits the take of marine mammals, including harassment, hunting, capturing, collecting or killing in US waters.
This little one was so curious, he kept swimming towards me so I kept trying to swim backwards but they’re definitely more agile than me in the water. He really wanted to taste my camera I think!
Crystal River is the only place in North America where you can legally swim with manatees in the wild. Please do not swim with manatees anywhere else in Florida as this could result in fines of up to $100,000 and/or a year in prison. Even in Crystal River, some regulations still apply. You are not allowed to: ride a manatee, scrape a manatee’s skin, harass, swim after or separate manatees away from their group, enter protected sanctuaries, feed or give any liquids to a manatee, or swim over a manatee. Although, sometimes they swim under you and you just kind of have to float there so you don’t accidentally hit them because honestly, they have no concept of personal space.
The average manatee is about 9–11.5 ft (2.7–3.5 m) long and weighs 450–1,300 lb (200–600 kg), with females generally larger than males. The largest individual on record weighed 3,649 lb (1,655 kg) and measured 15 ft (4.6 m) long! Manatees can live up to 50 years or more in the wild. A captive Florida manatee named Snooty lived for 69 years (1948–2017)!
The West Indian manatee inhabits mostly shallow coastal areas, including rivers and estuaries. Manatees can withstand large changes in salinity and can be found in highly brackish or saline waters.
The seasonal distribution of the Florida manatee varies with water temperatures. Temperatures below 68°F (20°C) increase the risk of cold-induced stress or even mortality. Consequently, manatees seek out warm-water refuges during the winter, such as natural springs or artificial refuges created by the warm runoff of power plants. Every winter, about 800 to 1,000 manatees seek refuge in Crystal River as the water remains at 72°F (22.2°C) year-round.
It’s hard to tell by my video, but trust me, this manatee was very wide! She must have been pregnant!
Manatees reach sexual maturity at 3-5 years of age, although most females first breed successfully at ages 7-9. Breeding occurs in ephemeral mating herds, where several males aggregate around an estrous female and compete for access to her. Larger males have been observed to dominate mating herds and are likely responsible for most successful copulation events.
The gestation period in manatees lasts for 12–14 months, after which they give birth to one calf at a time, or rarely twins. When a calf is born, it usually weighs 60–70 lb (27–32 kg) and is 4.0–4.5 ft (1.2–1.4 m) long. Manatees do not form permanent pair bonds and the male contributes no parental care to the calf, which remains with the mother for up to two years prior to weaning. A single female can reproduce once every 2-3 years. Wild manatees have been documented producing offspring into their late 30s, and a female captive manatee has given birth in her 40s.
Since manatees are mammals, they breathe air, have warm blood, and produce milk.
Scar tissue on manatees is white and persists for decades, allowing for easy identification of individuals.
Because manatees evolved in habitats without natural predators, they lack predator avoidance behavior, and therefore, don’t seem to be scared of humans.
Manatees are usually solitary animals, but they do aggregate at warm-water habitats during the winter and during the formation of breeding herds.
Manatees are herbivores and feed on both fresh and saltwater aquatic plants. They graze for 5 or more hours per day and consume 4-10% of their body weight every day.
We booked a semi-private tour with Fun 2 Dive for $75 per person. This included wetsuit and mask rentals.
The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) also known as the North American manatee, is the largest member of the Sirenia order (which also includes the dugong). There are two subspecies: the Florida manatee (T. m. latirostris) and the Caribbean manatee (T. m. manatus). Florida manatees inhabit the most northern limit of Sirenian habitats.
The West Indian manatee was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in the 1970s, when there were only several hundred left. Since then, significant efforts were made to protect this species. In 2017, the West Indian manatee was reclassified as threatened given a substantial increase in their population. Their population is now at 13,000 individuals!
However, even with the downlisting of their status, all federal protections for the West Indian manatee under the Endangered Species Act remain in place. The West Indian manatee is also protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978, which states that “it is unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb any manatee” as well as the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 which prohibits the take of marine mammals, including harassment, hunting, capturing, collecting or killing in US waters.
This little one was so curious, he kept swimming towards me so I kept trying to swim backwards but they’re definitely more agile than me in the water. He really wanted to taste my camera I think!
Crystal River is the only place in North America where you can legally swim with manatees in the wild. Please do not swim with manatees anywhere else in Florida as this could result in fines of up to $100,000 and/or a year in prison. Even in Crystal River, some regulations still apply. You are not allowed to: ride a manatee, scrape a manatee’s skin, harass, swim after or separate manatees away from their group, enter protected sanctuaries, feed or give any liquids to a manatee, or swim over a manatee. Although, sometimes they swim under you and you just kind of have to float there so you don’t accidentally hit them because honestly, they have no concept of personal space.
The average manatee is about 9–11.5 ft (2.7–3.5 m) long and weighs 450–1,300 lb (200–600 kg), with females generally larger than males. The largest individual on record weighed 3,649 lb (1,655 kg) and measured 15 ft (4.6 m) long! Manatees can live up to 50 years or more in the wild. A captive Florida manatee named Snooty lived for 69 years (1948–2017)!
The West Indian manatee inhabits mostly shallow coastal areas, including rivers and estuaries. Manatees can withstand large changes in salinity and can be found in highly brackish or saline waters.
The seasonal distribution of the Florida manatee varies with water temperatures. Temperatures below 68°F (20°C) increase the risk of cold-induced stress or even mortality. Consequently, manatees seek out warm-water refuges during the winter, such as natural springs or artificial refuges created by the warm runoff of power plants. Every winter, about 800 to 1,000 manatees seek refuge in Crystal River as the water remains at 72°F (22.2°C) year-round.
It’s hard to tell by my video, but trust me, this manatee was very wide! She must have been pregnant!
Manatees reach sexual maturity at 3-5 years of age, although most females first breed successfully at ages 7-9. Breeding occurs in ephemeral mating herds, where several males aggregate around an estrous female and compete for access to her. Larger males have been observed to dominate mating herds and are likely responsible for most successful copulation events.
The gestation period in manatees lasts for 12–14 months, after which they give birth to one calf at a time, or rarely twins. When a calf is born, it usually weighs 60–70 lb (27–32 kg) and is 4.0–4.5 ft (1.2–1.4 m) long. Manatees do not form permanent pair bonds and the male contributes no parental care to the calf, which remains with the mother for up to two years prior to weaning. A single female can reproduce once every 2-3 years. Wild manatees have been documented producing offspring into their late 30s, and a female captive manatee has given birth in her 40s.
Since manatees are mammals, they breathe air, have warm blood, and produce milk.
Scar tissue on manatees is white and persists for decades, allowing for easy identification of individuals.
Because manatees evolved in habitats without natural predators, they lack predator avoidance behavior, and therefore, don’t seem to be scared of humans.
Manatees are usually solitary animals, but they do aggregate at warm-water habitats during the winter and during the formation of breeding herds.
Manatees are herbivores and feed on both fresh and saltwater aquatic plants. They graze for 5 or more hours per day and consume 4-10% of their body weight every day.
