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Manatees

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Manatees are large, fully-aquatic marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. On average, most manatees swim about 3 to 5 miles per hour. However, they have been known to swim up to 20 miles per hour in short bursts. Florida manatees (T. manatus) have been known to live up to 60 years, and they can move freely between salinity extremes. Manatees are capable of understanding discrimination tasks, and show signs of complex associated learning and advanced long term memory. They have a large flexible prehensile upper lip that acts in many ways like a shortened trunk, somewhat similar to an elephant's. Manatees are also believed to have the ability to see in color.


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