What Divers Should Know About Sea Cows

As divers, encountering a sea cow is a truly serene experience, offering a glimpse into the gentle giants of our aquatic world. Commonly known as manatees and dugongs, these fully aquatic mammals belong to the order Sirenia, a group of primarily herbivorous creatures that navigate a range of warm, shallow habitats. Growing between 2.5 and 4 meters in length and weighing up to 1,500 kilograms, they possess a large, fusiform body perfectly adapted for moving gracefully through the water. While typically slow-moving, coasting around 8 kilometers per hour, they are capable of surprising bursts of speed when needed.

Divers are most likely to spot these placid animals in seagrass meadows, estuaries, rivers, and coastal marine waters. Manatees, for instance, are found in the Atlantic and Caribbean regions, often frequenting freshwater springs or canals during cooler months due to their sensitivity to temperature fluctuations. Dugongs, the other extant family, inhabit the Indo-West Pacific, almost exclusively supported by extensive seagrass beds. Observing their behavior, you'll often see them slowly grazing, using their strong lips to pull up vegetation, a diet that requires them to consume 10-15% of their body weight daily. Keep an eye out for them surfacing; they often hold just their nostrils above the water to breathe, sometimes even rising upright on their tails.