HABITAT
Manatees like to live in the small marshy coastal areas of the sea. Rivers of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, the Amazon basin and West Africa.
West Indian manatees like to live in warm temperatures and shallow waters. Their natural source for warmth during the cold winter is warm, spring-fed rivers.
In winter, manatees gather near the warm-water outflows of power plants by the Florida coast. Manatees have been found to rely on artificially warmed areas.
Wildlife services are trying to find new ways to heat water for the manatees. Manatees take up residence primarily in Florida's coastal waters during winter.
There are three species of the manatee, distinguished by where they live. West Indian manatee ranges along the North American east coast from Florida to Brazil.
The Amazonian manatee specie's habitat is the Amazon River they live and swim along it. The African manatee lives on the west coast and rivers of Africa.