🐋 West Indian manatee report template
Three versions, one page each. Print the one for your child’s grade. The facts come from the West Indian manatee page, every number with its source.
Grades 1–2
My report: the west Indian manatee
Trichechus manatus · Grades 1–2
| Length | 8.9 to 9.8 ft (2.7 to 3 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 992 lb (450 kg) |
| Top speed | 15 mph (24 km/h) |
| How long it lives | 60 years |
Read about it
Manatees are gentle, slow swimmers. They munch sea grass and other plants. Their tail is flat like a paddle.
It lives in:
It eats:
The coolest thing I learned:
Where my facts came from
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fws.gov/species/manatee-trichechus-manatus, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, Big Cypress National Preserve, nps.gov/bicy/learn/nature/mammals.htm, checked 2026-10-30
Grades 3–4
My report: the west Indian manatee
Trichechus manatus · Grades 3–4
| Length | 8.9 to 9.8 ft (2.7 to 3 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 992 lb (450 kg) |
| Top speed | 15 mph (24 km/h) |
| How long it lives | 60 years |
Read about it
A manatee glides through warm, shallow water and grazes on seagrass like a cow in a field, which is why it is sometimes called a sea cow. It has to come up to breathe air, but it can rest underwater between breaths. Its flippers have little nails, and it uses them to steer food into its mouth.
Where it lives (its habitat):
What it eats:
How its body helps it live there:
My favorite fact:
A question I still have:
Where my facts came from
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fws.gov/species/manatee-trichechus-manatus, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, Big Cypress National Preserve, nps.gov/bicy/learn/nature/mammals.htm, checked 2026-10-30
Grades 5–6
My report: the west Indian manatee
Trichechus manatus · Grades 5–6
| Length | 8.9 to 9.8 ft (2.7 to 3 m) |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | not checked yet: look it up! |
| Weight | 992 lb (450 kg) |
| Top speed | 15 mph (24 km/h) |
| How long it lives | 60 years |
Read about it
Manatees are mammals, and their closest living relatives are elephants. They need warm water, so in cold weather many gather at warm springs. Sandy plants wear their teeth down, so new teeth keep moving forward from the back of the jaw. Boats are one of the biggest dangers to manatees, so people set slow-speed zones in manatee waters, and protection has helped manatees do better.
Habitat and range: where on Earth, and what the place is like:
Diet: what it eats, and what might eat it:
Adaptations: two ways its body or habits help it survive:
Is it in danger? Why or why not?:
Compare it with another animal you know:
Bibliography: write each source below as site, page title, date checked:
Where my facts came from
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fws.gov/species/manatee-trichechus-manatus, checked 2026-10-30
- National Park Service, Big Cypress National Preserve, nps.gov/bicy/learn/nature/mammals.htm, checked 2026-10-30