🐬 Bottlenose dolphin vs West Indian manatee 🐋
The bottlenose dolphin and the West Indian manatee are about the same size. The West Indian manatee is a bit heavier than the bottlenose dolphin.
| Row | 🐬 Bottlenose dolphin | 🐋 West Indian manatee |
|---|---|---|
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the bottlenose dolphin yet. | no checked number yet | 15 mph24 km/h1 |
| Weight The West Indian manatee is a bit heavier than the bottlenose dolphin. | 300 to 1,400 lb136 to 635 kg2 | 992 lb450 kg1 |
| Lives The West Indian manatee lives a bit longer than the bottlenose dolphin. | 40 to 60 years40 to 60 years2 | 60 years60 years3 |
| Eats The bottlenose dolphin eats fish; the West Indian manatee eats plants. | fish, squid and shrimp | seagrass and other water plants |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | warm and mild seas all over the world, near the shore and far out | warm shallow coasts, rivers and springs from Florida through the Caribbean |
Which one? Bottlenose dolphin or West Indian manatee
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the bottlenose dolphin yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed.
Compare two more
Getting the animals ready…
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/bottlenose-dolphin-vs-manatee
- 🐬 All about the bottlenose dolphin
- 🐋 All about the West Indian manatee
- ⚖️ Compare Two
- 🐾 All the animals
Where these numbers come from
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, checked 30 October 2026.
- NOAA Fisheries, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Big Cypress National Preserve, checked 30 October 2026.