Body length3 m
20 millionthsBig Island lengths
5.5 tenthsParking space lengths
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Manatee
The gentle sea cow that inspired mermaid legends/Marine Life
Manatees (Trichechus manatus) are the living proof that you don't need to be fast or fierce to survive for 50 million years. These gentle herbivores spend 6-8 hours a day eating and the rest napping and slowly drifting around. Sailors once mistook them for mermaids, which honestly raises some questions about long voyages at sea.
Measurements
Body mass500 kg
1.67Full bathtubs
111Adult house cats
Average adult; can reach up to 590 kg
Typical swim speed1.3 m/s
1.2 hundredthsPeregrine falcons
116 millionthsEarth escape velocities
~5 km/h; can burst to ~7 m/s in short dashes
Daily food intake50 kg
442Sticks of butter
20 millionMosquito weights
5.6 tenthsHome safes
About 10-15% of body mass daily in aquatic plants
Flipper length5 tenths m
167 millionthsAirport runway lengths
3.33Bird nest diameters
3.57Sunglasses widths
Lung capacity1.5 hundredths m³
6 millionthsOlympic pools
16,667Marbles
~15 liters; can exchange 90% of air in a single breath