海牛可长达13英尺(4米)，重达1,300磅(600公斤)。与其它许多动物一样，海牛的体型掩盖了它们在水中的优雅。它们常在沿岸的水中以每小时5到15英里(每小时8到24公里)的速度优雅的滑水。北弗罗里达的泉水常年保持72华氏度(22摄氏度)的恒温，西印度海牛常去那片水域过冬。

Like many creatures, the manatee’s bulk-they can be as much as 13 feet (4 meters) long and 1,300 pounds (600 kilograms)-belies its aquatic grace. Also called sea cows, manatees are graceful swimmers that typically glide along coastal waters at 5 to 15 miles an hour (8 to 24 kilometers an hour). This West Indian manatee is wintering in a North Florida spring, attracted by the region’s constant 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius) waters.