Manatee Young
Manatee Mating
Female manatees reach sexual maturity at age 3 but will not breed successfully until 6 to 10 years of age. Males are sexually mature at age of two. Manatee mating herds are made up of sexually mature males and female. Within any given mating herd of manatees, there will be more males than females. Many male will court one female manatee within a breeding herd from a week to one month. Only persistent males will be successful.
Reproductive Rates
Manatees reproduce very slowly. Female carry the young up to 13 months before giving birth and usually produce a single calf with each pregnancy. Although calving occurs year round, there is generally a two to five-year span before females reproduce again.
Did you know?
Calves will remain dependent on their mothers for up to two years. Young manatee calves nurse from their mothers under water and are able to begin nibbling on aquatic vegetation a few weeks after birth.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Environment.
Location. 26° 41.59′ N, 81° 46.666′ W. Marker is in Fort Myers, Florida, in Lee County. Marker is on Palm Beach Boulevard. Marker is located inside park. Touch for map. Marker
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Tracking Manatees (here, next to this marker); Relatives and Relationships (here, next to this marker); Pine Flatwoods Habitat (here, next to this marker); Scrub Oak Habitat (here, next to this marker); Responsible Fishing (here, next to this marker); Boating with Wildlife (here, next to this marker); Mangroves - Trees of the Sea (here, next to this marker); Munching Manatees (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Myers.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 14, 2017. It was originally submitted on August 7, 2017, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 175 times since then and 6 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on August 7, 2017, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
