Lifespan
60 to 70 years
The oldest manatee under human care was 69 years old
Wildlife Reserves Singapore Group
Lifespan
The oldest manatee under human care was 69 years old
Diet
Habitat
and coastal waters
Range
and the Gulf of Mexico
Manatees spend six to eight hours a day feeding on submerged and floating aquatic vegetation, which contain large amounts of roughage.
Our manatees chomp on similarly high-fibre and low-calorie banana leaves and elephant grass.
It's not blubber that fills those barrel-shaped bodies, but an immense digestive system that includes up to 45 metres of intestines. Dedicated to digesting plant matter, this lengthy passageway extends digestion time and helps them absorb as much nutrients as possible. A single meal takes about a week to be fully digested!
High-fibre pellets are our manatees’ favourite snack. These are given as rewards during operant conditioning sessions to get our manatees used to routine checks and medical procedures. Canola started training last October and she now responds to coloured targets and presents her flipper voluntarily for blood draws.
She also cooperates for mouth swabs by lifting her head out of water and flips belly-up for ultrasound scans to detect and monitor any future pregnancies.
Meet and greet our adorable manatee family, get to know each of their quirks, partake in their training and even have a go at hand feeding them during meal time!
*Ages 3 to 12
Whenever a baby is born, our aquarists keep a close watch for 48 hours to ensure it is suckling well. Sadly, scientists are seeing more orphaned calves in the wild. Separated from their mothers by human disturbance, these calves have been found stranded on coasts and left to fend for themselves.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.
At relatively low risk of extinction
Likely to become vulnerable in the near future
At high risk of extinction in the wild
At very high risk of extinction in the wild
At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild
Survives only in captivity
No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity
