Manatees are large, gentle animals that live in warm water. They are sometimes called sea cows because they move slowly and eat plants, as cows do. An adult manatee can eat about one tenth of its body weight in plants each day. In winter, the ocean near Florida can get too cold for them. Many manatees swim to warm springs and rivers, where the water stays about the same temperature all year. Boats can hurt manatees, so some areas have signs…
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A monarch butterfly goes through four stages. First, a female lays a tiny egg on a milkweed leaf. A caterpillar hatches and eats milkweed leaves for about two weeks, growing bigger and bigger. Next, it hangs upside down and forms a chrysalis, a hard green case. Inside, its body changes. After about ten days, an adult butterfly comes out with orange and black wings. Milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars can eat.
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American alligators live in the swamps, lakes, and rivers of the southeastern United States, including Florida. An alligator can stay underwater for a long time. Its eyes and nostrils are on top of its head, so it can see and breathe while most of its body is hidden. Alligators are cold-blooded, which means their bodies do not make their own heat. That is why you often see them lying in the sun on a riverbank. A mother alligator builds a nest…
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