Here are some fun facts about Florida manatees:

## Physical Characteristics
– Manatees can grow up to 13 feet long and weigh up to 3,500 pounds, with females being larger than males.[1][3]
– Their eyes close in a circular motion, like a camera aperture.[1]
– Manatees continuously lose and regrow teeth throughout their lifetime.[1][3]
– Their skin is thick, wrinkled, and leathery, with algae and barnacles often growing on their backs and tails.[3]

## Behavior and Intelligence
– Manatees are herbivores that can consume up to 10-15% of their body weight per day in aquatic vegetation.[1][3]
– They are surprisingly strong swimmers, capable of reaching burst speeds of 15 mph for short periods.[3]
– Manatees may have long-term memory, migrating hundreds of miles annually to the same warm water refuges.[4]
– Despite having small brains, manatees are believed to be as intelligent as dolphins in experimental tasks.[2]

## Habitat and Lifespan
– Florida manatees inhabit coastal waters, rivers, and springs in Florida, sometimes traveling as far north as Massachusetts.[3]
– They can move between saltwater and freshwater habitats.[1]
– Manatees have no natural predators, but face threats from humans like watercraft collisions and loss of warm water habitats.[2][3]
– In captivity, manatees can live over 65 years, but in the wild, only half survive past their early 20s due to human impacts.[3][4]

## Reproduction
– Female manatees reach sexual maturity at 3-5 years old, while males mature at 5-7 years.[3]
– Gestation lasts around 13 months, with typically one calf born that may stay with its mother for up to 2 years.[3]

[1][2][3][4]

Citations:
[1] https://blog.padi.com/20-fun-facts-about-manatees/
[2] https://30a.com/manatees/
[3] https://myfwc.com/education/wildlife/manatee/facts-and-information/
[4] https://www.evergladesfoundation.org/post/10-things-you-didn-t-know-about-florida-manatees-and-where-to-see-them
[5] https://mote.org/research/program/manatee-research/manatee-research-program-fun-facts