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In 1493, when Columbus sailed to the Americas for his second journey, he and his sailors were the first Europeans to spot the present-day manatees. Because of their amazingly humanlike appearance these ancient sailors went home telling stories of mermaids.

When the Spanish came over they hunted and ate these massive beasts. Since the early 1900's the manatee population has dwindled severely. Finally countries and smaller organizations began taking interest in saving the manatees. Laws and regulations were set so that manatees might be saved from extinction. This has been successful to a point, but still only very few manatees live and they must be nurtured in order to flourish.

Manatees are also known as sea cows because they graze on pastures of sea grass. They are air breathing creatures and most kinds can grow up to thirteen feet long during the average life span of sixty years. Manatees can weigh up to 3500 pounds. An average adult weighs between 1000 and 2000......

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Approximate Word Count: 549
Approximate Pages: 3 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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