- Last Updated on Wednesday, 12 September 2012 13:12 - Written
by Patti Lavell - Hits: 753 If you’ve ever had the extreme
pleasure of seeing a manatee in its natural habitat then you
already know what beautiful creatures they are. If you haven’t
been so fortunate, allow me to share some manatee love. Let’s
start with a bit of biology. Manatees belong to the scientific
order Sirenia, which is made up of the following species: the
West Indian manatee, the Amazonian manatee, the dugong, the West
African manatee and the Steller's sea cow, which sadly is
extinct. The Florida manatee is a subspecies of the West Indian
manatee and its closest living relative is the elephant. No
kidding. Scientists believe that the manatee evolved from a
plant-eating wading animal. Unfortunately, not a lot is known
about the population of West Indian manatees except for those
living in Florida’s waters. The largest population of West
Indian manatees is found in the United States, primarily in
Florida. There are small populations of t