Manatees are unique marine mammals with paddlelike tails and foreflippers. They belong to the mammalian order Sirenia. There are three species of manatees: the Amazonian manatee (Trichechus iniguis), the West African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis), and the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus). Scientists also recognize two subspecies of the West Indian manatee: the Florida manatee (T. m. latirostris) and the Antillean manatee (T. m. manatus). The Florida manatee is one of the most endangered marine mammals in the United States. Since 1976, SeaWorld Orlando has rescued, rehabilitated, and released Florida manatees in need. Learn more about these amazing marine mammals in this issue of Land, Sea & Air.

Students in grades K-3 can discover more about manatees in the following activities. They can practice math skills with Manatee Feeding Time, learn some of the dangers manatees face while playing Manatee Musical Chairs, and use their imaginations to help manatees overcome threats with Super Manatee.

Your fourth through eighth grade class can use statistics to examine a manatee's diet with the Sirenian Statistics activity.

Ninth through twelfth grade students can explore manatee migrations with the Manatees on the Move activity.

Where do manatees live? What do they eat? Why are they gray? Answer these questions and many more with our online manatee information.

November is Manatee Awareness Month. Visit the Save the Manatee Club to get involved.

Geography Awareness Week is also happening this month. Encourage students to study a map and locate places they may have never even heard of by using manatee distribution as an examples. Research where the various Sirenian species are found and ask students to mark these locations on a map. Learn more about Geography Awareness Week at the following Web site.

The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund supports many projects aimed at helping manatees around the world. Visit www.swbg-conservationfund.org to learn about these projects and more:

SeaWorld Orlando rescues, rehabilitates, and releases manatees in need. Since 1976, they have rescued more than 375 manatees and released more than 185. Read about one of their smallest patients here:

Bring manatees into your classroom with Saving a Species: The Manatee Story. This 30 minute episode shows how SeaWorld Orlando cares for rescued manatees and prepares for their release. Visit www.shamutv.com for broadcast dates.

The Florida manatees at SeaWorld San Diego are part of an interesting recycling program. Animal Care Specialists discovered that Culinary Operations recycles Romaine lettuce cores - a favorite manatee treat! The two departments came to an agreement to reuse the lettuce cores for the manatees - saving both departments money, reducing waste, and keeping the manatees full and happy! How can you and your students creatively recycle in your classroom?