While manatees eat a broad diet of over 60 different plants, they most commonly feed on species of seagrass. Seagrasses are marine plants that, like land plants, have leaves, flowers, roots and ...

The overpopulation of algae has affected manatee diet and nutrition. A study involving Allen, the United States Geological Survey, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection found that ...

Algal blooms block sunlight needed by sea grass, a primary component of the manatees’ diet. This year’s fatalities may signal a return of the mass die-offs that plagued the population from 2012 to ...

One of the threats to manatees is cold stress. Manatees need warmth to survive. They’re vulnerable when the water temperature drops below 68 degrees, between November to March. Their round ...