Random Amazing Facts About Manatees (15 items)

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  (#13) Manatees Can Swim Vertically, Upside Down, And In Fresh Or Salt Water

  The award for most creativity in the water should undoubtedly belong to manatees. They are amazing migratory mammals that sometimes even do stunts in the water, such as their adorable aquatic tumble-salts. They are sometimes even caught on camera swimming upside down. Best of all, though, is the manatee’s ability to adapt to either fresh or salt water environments - only a handful of sea creatures can pull off this feat.
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  (#14) In 2015, 17 Manatees Got Trapped In A Storm Drain

  One of the perils of being a manatee is the looming threat of humans, who are constantly setting unintentional booby traps that bewilder and entangle these gentle giants. One of the most bizarre situations on record took place in 2015 when 17 manatees were found stranded in a storm drain. Like an action film, the colossal creatures were saved just moments before they would have drowned.
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  (#6) Gas Helps Keep Them Afloat

  Since manatees use their lungs in conjunction with their intestines to propel themselves through the water, they also have to pass gas in order to keep their balance - yes, that means farting. Making bubbles in the water is essential to maintaining the buoyancy of the manatee and they have an impressive amount of control over how much gas they make and how often they make it.

  Other sea creatures have swim bladders that work to keep them afloat; however, for the manatee, farting is akin to swimming and it’s what makes them appear to be gliding so gracefully through the water. As the gas is released, their paddle-like tails move up and down, pushing them along at painfully slow speeds.
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  (#9) Manatees Are Born Underwater

  Manatees experience one of the most miraculous births on the planet. Like most marine mammals, manatees spend a great deal of their lives at sea; however, they still need air to breathe. Since manatee babies are born underwater, their mothers are immediately their heroes - right after they are born, mothers carry their little water-babies up to the surface and help them catch their first breath of oxygen.
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  (#3) Their Beautiful Hearts Are Round At The Bottom

  There’s no denying that the manatee is rather unique. This gentle giant’s body is extraordinarily shaped - all the way down to its heart. Like its distant cousin, the elephant, the majestic manatee’s heart rounds out on the bottom rather than coming to a point like most other mammalian hearts do. In addition to being different in shape, a manatees heart is also amazing because of its size. The average manatee has a heart the size of a basketball! That’s a whole lot of love to give.
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  (#7) Their Teeth Continuously Fall Out And Grow Back Throughout Their Lives

  Snacking on aquatic vegetation all day can really do a number on the teeth, especially when you throw sand into the mix. Since the sand grinds down their teeth as they chew, manatees have evolved to have an entire mouth full of molars waiting as back-ups. As the front molars wear down, they fall out and allow the back molars to move forward. Then, new molars begin to grow in the backs of their mouths, continually replacing themselves. This bizarre process continues for their entire lives and is known as "marching molars."

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