Manatees possess tactile hair over their entire body. In most mammals, this specialized type of hair is known as whiskers. (Photo © Patrick M. Rose, Save the Manatee Club)

Q. Do manatees have hair or fur on their bodies?

View an illustration A Sensitive Creature at the The New York Times web site

Yes, manatees do have hair on their bodies. Having hair is one of the many defining characteristics that classify manatees as mammals, like humans. However, manatee hair is much different than ours, in that the manatee has thick, sparse hair all over its body, whereas our hair is numerous and fine. Dr. Roger Reep, a professor at the University of Florida (and member of Save the Manatee Club's Board of Directors), and his colleagues determined that the hair on a manatee’s body is tactile hair, which on most mammals, is the specialized type of hair that is only found around the face as whiskers. In other mammals, whiskers are used to sense objects in their environment, especially in the dark or for animals with bad vision. Therefore, it is believed that manatees use the estimated 3,000 tactile hairs on their bodies to detect other animals, water currents, and the layout of their habitat, as their vision is fairly poor and they are often found in murky waters. The approximate 2,000 tactile hairs on their face can be used to investigate and grasp food. Additionally, the tactile hairs on a manatee are similar to the lateral line system found in fish. This is a system of sensory organs used to detect movement and vibrations in the water, which can be used by the organism for navigation or to detect what is nearby.

--Courtney Edwards
Staff Biologist, Save the Manatee Club


Get More Info!

• Read more about manatee tactile hairs in an article by Dr. Roger Reep: How Manatees Find Their Way.
  
  
• Get a Manatee Anatomy (pdf) fact sheet from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which features a photo of a manatee and manatee anatomy trivia.
  
  
• Buy The Florida Manatee, a book by Roger L. Reep and Robert K. Bonde, and help support manatee conservation efforts.
  
  

Send Us Your Question About Manatees
If we choose it for the next Paddle Tales E-Newsletter, we'll send you a FREE 2012 wall calendar! Send to education@savethemanatee.org

Get more Manatee FAQ