any of a family (Trichechidae) of sirenians living in shallow tropical waters near the coasts of North and South America and W Africa; sea cow
Origin:
Sp manatí < native (Carib) name
See manatee in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
Any of various herbivorous aquatic mammals of the genus Trichechus, having paddlelike front flippers and a horizontally flattened tail and found in warm coastal waters of Florida, northern South America, West Africa, and the Caribbean.