manatee
n. countablen. a large, slow-moving sea animal that looks like a cross between a fish and a whale. It lives in warm water and eats mostly sea grass.
n. a large, herbivorous marine mammal of the order Sirenia, characterized by a paddle-like tail and a streamlined body. It inhabits shallow, coastal waters and estuaries in tropical and subtropical regions.
The manatee swam slowly through the shallow water.
Conservationists are working to protect the manatee from boat collisions in the shallow coastal areas of Florida.
Unlike the more widely recognized dolphin, the manatee is a gentle, slow-moving herbivore that relies on dense underwater vegetation for its primary source of sustenance and habitat.
Borrowed from Spanish manatí, from a Cariban-language term meaning ‘breast’, ultimately from Proto-Cariban *manatɨ; compare Kari'na manaty, Trió manatï, Apalaí manaty, Akawaio manatï, Pemon manatü, Macushi manatî.