Manatees at Blue Springs Park - Florida

Manatees are aquatic herbivores (plant-eaters). Also known as "sea cows," these herbivores

usually spend up to eight hours a day grazing on seagrasses and other aquatic plants.

A manatee can consume from 4 to 9 percent of its body weight in aquatic vegetation daily.

Manatees use their tails in an up-and-down motion to propel themselves forward.

Strong swimmers, they are capable of reaching speeds of 15 miles per hour in short bursts.

Manatees rest from 2 to 12 hours a day, either suspended near the water's surface or lying

on the bottom, usually for several hours at a time.