FIELD BOOK OF MAMMALS 



The bones of this mammal are very dense and heavy and 

 are an aid in keeping it submerged. The mobile lips are cleft 

 along the mid-line above, and each half is capable of motion 

 independent of the other side. The upper lip thus becomes a 

 useful grasping member and the Manatee gathers in tufts of 

 marine vegetation at the bottom of the lagoons. 



The one Manatee which I have seen came to the surface of 

 the water in Old Harbor Bay, Jamaica, fairly close to my 

 rowboat. The head of the animal looked more like a small 

 keg bobbing on the waves than anything alive. After a 

 moment for respiration the Manatee quietly sank out of sight. 



Fishermen occasionally catch the Manatee in their nets, 

 and it has been noted that unusually severe winters, such as 

 that of 1894-95, lower the temperature of the shallow waters 

 sufficiently to kill numbers of Manatee. 



The Manatee is said to have one young a year. 



556 



