Manatees (family Trichechidae, genus Trichechus) are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. They measure up to 13 feet long, weigh as much as 1,300 pounds, and have paddle-like flippers. Manatees are herbivores and eat over 60 different freshwater and saltwater plants. Manatees inhabit the shallow, marshy coastal areas and rivers of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, the Amazon Basin, the Amazon Basin. Florida manatees can move freely between salinity extremes. Apart from mothers with their young, or males following a receptive female, manatees are generally solitary animals. The main causes of death for manatees are human-related issues, such as habitat destruction and human objects. Natural causes of death include adverse temperatures and disease. Illustrated by Louis A. Sargent, taken from "The wild beasts of the world" by Frank Finn; illustrated with 100 reproductions in full colors from drawings by Louis Sargent, Cuthbert E. Swan, and Winifred Austin, published 1909.