Introduction:

• What are mermaids? What do they look like? Do they exist?
• The sailors claimed that mermaids would sing to them. What reason did the sailors give for why mermaids would sing to them? Can you think of any reasons why a mermaid would want to lure sailors onto dangerous rocks?

Description:

• What do manatees look like? In what ways do manatees look like mermaids? In what way do they look different from mermaids? Why did Columbus think that the manatees were mermaids?
• Why are manatees sometimes called sea cows?
• Animals that hunt and eat meat, such as lions, are called carnivores. Animals that eat nothing but plants, such as cows and horses, are called herbivores (or vegetarians). Animals that eat both plants and animals are called omnivores. Are manatees carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores?
• Manatees have a thick layer of blubber. Blubber floats very well and acts like a life preserver. How do manatees keep from floating too high in the water?
• Name two differences between manatees and dugongs.

Habitat and Habits

• Why do manatees migrate?
• Why do manatees stay in shallow water close to shore?
• Why do manatees spend so much time eating?

Threats to Survival

• List at least three ways that humans accidentally kill manatees.
• List at least three ways that humans are doing to protect manatees.

When the children have finished reading the entire book, discuss the question of why manatees are considered mammals. Have the children refer to their worksheets. What evidence did they find to suggest that manatees are or are not mammals? If appropriate, have the children refer back to particular passages of the text to support their arguments.

Visual Learning
Ask: What does the map on page 9 tell you about where manatees and the related dugongs live? Do any of them live in the middle of continents or in the middle of the ocean? (No, all manatees and dugongs live in coastal areas.) Do all of the manatees or dugongs live near the equator? What does this tell you about their ability to live in cold water? (All current species of manatees and dugongs live in warm water near the equator. They cannot live in cold water.)

Ask: Look at the drawing on page 11. Which species of manatee is the shortest? Which one is the lightest? (The Amazon manatee is both the shortest and the lightest.)