Manatee Appreciation Day is dedicated to raising awareness about the plight of manatees and promoting their conservation. The day is celebrated on the last Wednesday in March, with the aim of educating the public about the importance of protecting manatees—large, gentle marine mammals that are found in warm waters around the world, including Florida, the Caribbean, South America, and West Africa— and their habitats.
Manatees face several threats, including habitat loss, boat strikes, pollution, and climate change. This year, Save the Manatee Club is sharing resources to help everyone do their part to protect manatees.
Donate to Habitat and Restoration Projects
In recent years, thousands of manatees have died because of seagrass loss in the Indian River Lagoon. All donations to Save the Mantatee Club’s Habitat and Restoration Fund help support efforts to protect and restore critical manatee habitats and projects to plant seagrass and submerged aquatic vegetation that are coordinated by our conservation partners.
¡Aprende acerca de los manatíes en español!
Manatee 101
- Facts About Manatees
- Manatee FAQ
- Sirenians of the World
The West Indian manatee belongs to the scientific order Sirenia. Learn more about the other sirenians that live around the world. - Migration
Did you know that Florida manatees are considered semi-migratory animals?
Threats to Manatees
Learn about harassment of manatees and respectful ways to see manatees in the wild.
- Manatees and Harassment
It is important to recognize that manatees are wild animals. Any contact with humans—even those who are well-intentioned—could injure them or alter their natural behavior. - Manatees and Red Tide – coming soon!
Thus far in 2023, there has been an extensive red tide outbreak on Florida’s West Coast. Learn more about red tide and how it affects manatees. - Manatees and Climate Change
Manatees are part of an interconnected aquatic ecosystem. As the planet warms, it is likely that manatees will be adversely affected. - Manatees and Watercraft
Collisions with boats are a major source of manatee mortality. Learn more about the dangers and how to boat with care, because manatees are there!
What You Can Do
Many people don’t realize that fishing hooks, plastic bags, or even small bits of plastic trash can be big problems for manatees.
- Take care when viewing manatees in the wild
Learn why it’s important to respect their space, and the best practices to keep manatees safe. - How to report a sick or injured manatee
Read about what signs to look for, and who to call if you think a manatee may be in distress. - Report healthy manatee sightings
Your sightings can help provide valuable information to researchers who are tracking manatees! Do not use the form to report sick or injured manatees. - Take the pledge to be Fertilizer-Free for Manatees
The individual actions of each Florida resident can make a big difference for the health of our waterways. - Get Resources
Whether you are a boater, swimmer, diver, educator, student, or anyone in between… we have resources for you. - Adopt-A-Manatee®
- Become a Save the Manatee Club volunteer
Activities
- Check out Save the Manatee Club’s social media pages!
Join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for fun facts, live educational videos, and more! - Webinar: Manatee 101
Wednesday, March 29 at 6:00pm ET. What are manatees? Where do they live? What do they eat? What is being done to protect them? You’ll find out the answers to all this and more, and have the opportunity to ask your own question in this introduction to all things manatee! - Manatee Quiz – coming soon!
- Manatee Matching Game
Most living manatees bear scars from boat collisions, and this is how researchers identify them. Click the link above to get our Manatee Matching Game and see if you can identify some real manatees. You will also need this Researcher’s Scar Sheet. - Send Free Ecards
- Listen to Manatee Sounds