🌱Manatee Feeding Facts🌱 •Some manatees consume over 60 species of plants per day! Quite the variety!🌿 •Manatees have a long gut transit time, about seven days! This allows them to absorb as much nutrition from the vegetation as possible!☘️ •When manatees are feeding their lips and jaws are moving in a constant motion. They use the bristles on their lips to further assist in bringing plants and grass to their mouth!🌿 | Bird's Underwater Dive Center

How do we feed our manatees? The manatees in our care typically consume anywhere from 100 to 300 pounds of lettuce a day. We offer lettuce in different ways, first using bottom feeders to mimic rooted plants these manatees will encounter in the wild. Secondly, we place heads of lettuce gently on the surface to mimic floating vegetation. Both of these methods help prepare the manatees in our care to return to the wild. #MustSeeInManatee #Bishop #Manatee #ManateeAwarenessMonth | The Bishop Museum