How it works
How many bones are in a manatee's neck, and where does it go when the water turns cold? These manatee trivia questions cover the three species, from the Amazon to West Africa and Florida.
Read the full guide
Four rounds on the sea cow
Three manatees and their kin sorts the Amazonian, West Indian and West African manatees and tells a manatee from a dugong by its tail. Body, teeth and senses follows the molars forward. Grazing, calves and daily life counts the hours spent eating and sleeping. Warm water, range and people goes from Florida's springs to the canals of Guyana.
For a Florida trip or an aquarium club
The card hands out questions ten at a time. A tap settles each one and leaves a line of explanation with its article. Scored round saves all twenty verdicts for the finish.
Questions and answers
Why are manatees called sea cows?
For their slow, peaceful, plant-eating nature, which reminded people of cattle. A manatee grazes for up to seven hours a day.
What do manatees eat?
Plants. Manatees are herbivores that eat over 60 kinds of freshwater and saltwater plants, among them water hyacinth, mangrove leaves and sea grasses. An adult commonly eats about 110 pounds a day.
Where do manatees live?
In shallow, marshy coastal waters and rivers of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Amazon basin and West Africa. West Indian manatees winter at warm springs in Florida.
How were the answers checked?
Each was read on October 3, 2026 in the English Wikipedia article Manatee, which every question links. Counts of manatees, yearly death tolls and the detail of boat injuries are left out.