noun
also man·a·ti ˈmanəˌtē
( -s )
Etymology: Spanish manaté, probably of Cariban origin; akin to Galibi manatí, manaté breast, teats
: any of several chiefly tropical aquatic herbivorous mammals that constitute a genus ( Trichechus ) of the order Sirenia and differ from the dugong especially in having the tail broad and rounded instead of like that of a whale ; especially : a formerly common American mammal ( T. latirostris syn. T. manatus ) of the waters of the West Indies and neighboring mainland coasts from Florida to Yucatan that is about 10 feet long, nearly black, thick-skinned, and almost free from hair and that has become rare through excessive killing for its fat and hide or for its edible flesh
[s]manatee.jpg[/s]