Plush West Indian Manatee

Manatees are aquatic mammals that evolved from four-footed land animals over 60 million years ago. Though they look like seals or walruses they are actually related to the elephant. Early explorers an sailors who saw manatees sometimes thought they were seeing mermaids!
From the time of early Spanish exploration in the 1500's to the 1800's, manatees were hunted for their meat, bones, hide, and oil. In 1893 Florida passed a law protecting the manatee. As an endangered species, there are only 1200 left in Florida. Manatees are still in danger from boat collisions, ingestion of fishing gear, and pollution.