IELTS Reading Practice: Manatees (Cambridge 20, Test 2, Passage 1)

Manatees are the “gentle giants” of the ocean and a familiar topic in IELTS reading passages about the animal kingdom. The “Manatees” passage from *Cambridge 20* (Test 2, Passage 1) is a classic example of a Passage 1 text: it provides descriptive scientific information accompanied by common question types like Note Completion and True/False/Not Given.

This article from the ECE language center provides the full reading passage, a vocabulary breakdown, and, most importantly, detailed explanations for every answer to help you gain a deep understanding and master this reading task.

Reading Passage

Manatees

Manatees, also known as sea cows, are aquatic mammals that belong to a group of animals called Sirenia. This group also contains dugongs. Dugongs and manatees look quite alike – they are similar in size, colour and shape, and both have flexible flippers for forelimbs. However, the manatee has a broad, rounded tail, whereas the dugong’s is fluked, like that of a whale. There are three species of manatees: the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), the African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) and the Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis).

Unlike most mammals, manatees have only six bones in their neck – most others, including humans and giraffes, have seven. This short neck allows a manatee to move its head up and down, but not side to side. To see something on its left or its right, a manatee must turn its entire body, steering with its flippers. Manatees have pectoral flippers but no back limbs, only a tail for propulsion. They do have pelvic bones, however – a leftover from their evolution from a four-legged to a fully aquatic animal. Manatees share some visual similarities to elephants. Like elephants, manatees have thick, wrinkled skin. They also have some hairs covering their bodies which help them sense vibrations in the water around them.

Seagrasses and other marine plants make up most of a manatee’s diet. Manatees spend about eight hours each day grazing and uprooting plants. They eat up to 15% of their weight in food each day. African manatees are omnivorous – studies have shown that molluscs and fish make up a small part of their diets. West Indian and Amazonian manatees are both herbivores.

Manatees’ teeth are all molars – flat, rounded teeth for grinding food. Due to manatees’ abrasive aquatic plant diet, these teeth get worn down and they eventually fall out, so they continually grow new teeth that get pushed forward to replace the ones they lose. Instead of having incisors to grasp their food, manatees have lips which function like a pair of hands to help tear food away from the seafloor.

Manatees are fully aquatic, but as mammals, they need to come up to the surface to breathe. When awake, they typically surface every two to four minutes, but they can hold their breath for much longer. Adult manatees sleep underwater for 10–12 hours a day, but they come up for air every 15 – 20 minutes. Active manatees need to breathe more frequently. It’s thought that manatees use their muscular diaphragm and breathing to adjust their buoyancy. They may use diaphragm contractions to compress and store gas in folds in their large intestine to help them float.

The West Indian manatee reaches about 3.5 metres long and weighs on average around 500 kilograms. It moves between fresh water and salt water, taking advantage of coastal mangroves and coral reefs, rivers, lakes and inland lagoons. There are two subspecies of West Indian manatee: the Antillean manatee is found in waters from the Bahamas to Brazil, whereas the Florida manatee is found in US waters, although some individuals have been recorded in the Bahamas. In winter, the Florida manatee is typically restricted to Florida. When the ambient water temperature drops below 20°C, it takes refuge in naturally and artificially warmed water, such as at the warm-water outfalls from powerplants.

The African manatee is also about 3.5 metres long and found in the sea along the west coast of Africa, from Mauritania down to Angola. The species also makes use of rivers, with the mammals seen in landlocked countries such as Mali and Niger.

The Amazonian manatee is the smallest species, though it is still a big animal. It grows to about 2.5 metres long and 350 kilograms. Amazonian manatees favour calm, shallow waters that are above 23°C. This species is found in fresh water in the Amazon Basin in Brazil, as well as in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

All three manatee species are endangered or at a heightened risk of extinction. The African manatee and Amazonian manatee are both listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is estimated that 140,000 Amazonian manatees were killed between 1935 and 1954 for their meat, fat and skin, with the latter used to make leather. In more recent years, African manatee decline has been tied to incidental capture in fishing nets and hunting. Manatee hunting is now illegal in every country the African species is found in.

The two subspecies of West Indian manatee are listed as Endangered by the IUCN. Both are also expected to undergo a decline of 20% over the next 40 years. A review of almost 1,800 cases of entanglement in fishing nets and of plastic consumption among marine mammals in US waters from 2009 to 2020 found that at least 700 cases involved manatees. The chief cause of death in Florida manatees is boat strikes. However, laws in certain parts of Florida now limit boat speeds during winter, allowing slow-moving manatees more time to respond.

Questions 1 – 6

Complete the notes below. Choose ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

Manatees

Appearance

• look similar to dugongs, but with a differently shaped 1 ______ Movement
• have fewer neck bones than most mammals
• need to use their 2 ______ to help to turn their bodies around in order to look sideways
• sense vibrations in the water by means of 3 ______ on their skin Feeding
• eat mainly aquatic vegetation, such as 4 ______
• grasp and pull up plants with their 5 ______ Breathing
• come to the surface for air every 2–4 minutes when awake and every 15–20 while sleeping
• may regulate the 6 ______ of their bodies by using muscles of diaphragm to store air internally

Questions 7 – 13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

Write:

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

7. West Indian manatees can be found in a variety of different aquatic habitats.

8. The Florida manatee lives in warmer waters than the Antillean manatee.

9. The African manatee’s range is limited to coastal waters between the West African countries of Mauritania and Angola.

10. The extent of the loss of Amazonian manatees in the mid-twentieth century was only revealed many years later.

11. It is predicted that West Indian manatee populations will fall in the coming decades.

12. The risk to manatees from entanglement and plastic consumption increased significantly in the period 2009 – 2020.

13. There is some legislation in place which aims to reduce the likelihood of boat strikes on manatees in Florida.

Summary of the “Manatees” Passage

This passage is a scientific description of the manatee, covering the following key aspects:

1. Classification: Introduces manatees as part of the Sirenia group, comparing them to dugongs, particularly regarding tail shape.
2. Physical characteristics: Describes unique traits such as having only six neck vertebrae, the inability to turn their heads, the use of flippers to rotate their bodies, and the presence of hairs to sense vibrations.
3. Diet: Primarily herbivorous (seagrasses), though the African species is omnivorous. They possess unique molars that are continuously replaced.
4. Respiration & Physiology: As mammals, they must surface to breathe; they can regulate buoyancy by compressing gas within their bodies.
5. Species & Habitat: Details the three species (West Indian, African, Amazonian) regarding size and habitat (saltwater, freshwater, rivers, coastal areas).
6. Threats & Conservation: All species are threatened by hunting, fishing net entanglement, and boat strikes. Protective laws, such as boat speed limits, have been implemented.

Key Vocabulary

1. aquatic mammals (n.p): mammals that live in water.
2. propulsion (n): the action of driving or pushing forward.
   • Example: “…only a tail for propulsion.”
3. herbivores / omnivorous (n/adj): animals that eat plants / animals that eat both plants and meat.
   • Example: “African manatees are omnivorous… West Indian and Amazonian manatees are both herbivores.”
4. abrasive (adj): capable of polishing or cleaning a hard surface by rubbing or grinding.
   • Example: “Due to manatees’ abrasive aquatic plant diet, these teeth get worn down…”
5. buoyancy (n): the ability or tendency to float in water or air.
   • Example: “…to adjust their buoyancy.”
6. ambient (adj): relating to the immediate surroundings.
   • Example: “When the ambient water temperature drops below 20°C…”
7. landlocked countries (n.p): countries that do not have territory connected to an ocean.
8. incidental capture (n.p): the unintentional catching of non-target species.
   • Example: “…decline has been tied to incidental capture in fishing nets…”
9. entanglement (n): the state of being caught in something.
10. legislation (n): laws, considered collectively.
    • Example: “However, legislation in certain parts of Florida now limit boat speeds…”

Suggested Answers and Detailed Explanations

1. Answer: tail

• Location: Paragraph 1
• Evidence: “However, the manatee has a broad, rounded tail, whereas the dugong’s is fluked, like that of a whale.”
• Explanation: The question asks for the physical difference compared to the dugong. Paragraph 1 compares the two and identifies the “tail” as the primary difference.

2. Answer: flippers

• Location: Paragraph 2
• Evidence: “To see something on its left or its right, a manatee must turn its entire body, steering with its flippers.”
• Explanation: Manatees cannot turn their necks, so to look sideways, they must turn their whole body and use their “flippers” to steer.

3. Answer: hairs

• Location: Paragraph 2
• Evidence: “They also have some hairs covering their bodies which help them sense vibrations in the water around them.”
• Explanation: They “sense vibrations” by means of “hairs” on their skin.

4. Answer: seagrasses

• Location: Paragraph 3
• Evidence: “Seagrasses and other marine plants make up most of a manatee’s diet.”
• Explanation: The question asks for an example (“such as”) of the aquatic vegetation they eat. “Seagrasses” is the first and most prominent example.

5. Answer: lips

• Location: Paragraph 4
• Evidence: “Instead of having incisors to grasp their food, manatees have lips which function like a pair of hands to help tear food away from the seafloor.”
• Explanation: The question asks for the body part used to “grasp and pull up” food. Paragraph 4 states they use their “lips” to “tear food away.”

6. Answer: buoyancy

• Location: Paragraph 5
• Evidence: “It’s thought that manatees use their muscular diaphragm and breathing to adjust their buoyancy.”
• Explanation: The question asks what manatees regulate using their diaphragm. “Regulate” is a synonym for “adjust,” and “buoyancy” is the object being adjusted.

7. TRUE

• Statement: West Indian manatees can be found in a variety of different aquatic habitats.
• Evidence (Paragraph 6): “It moves between fresh water and salt water, taking advantage of coastal mangroves and coral reefs, rivers, lakes and inland lagoons.”
• Explanation: Their movement between fresh and salt water, and their presence in reefs, rivers, lakes, and lagoons, confirms they inhabit a “variety of different aquatic habitats.”

8. NOT GIVEN

• Statement: The Florida manatee lives in warmer waters than the Antillean manatee.
• Evidence (Paragraph 6): Paragraph 6 describes the habitats of both. The Florida manatee needs refuge when temperatures drop below 20°C. The Antillean manatee is found from the Bahamas to Brazil.
• Explanation: The passage does not provide a direct comparison of the preferred water temperatures of these two subspecies. We cannot conclude which one lives in “warmer” water.

9. FALSE

• Statement: The African manatee’s range is limited to coastal waters…
• Evidence (Paragraph 7): “The species also makes use of rivers, with the mammals seen in landlocked countries such as Mali and Niger.”
• Explanation: Being found in “landlocked countries” (living in rivers) proves their range is not “limited to coastal waters.”

10. NOT GIVEN

• Statement: The extent of the loss of Amazonian manatees in the mid-twentieth century was only revealed many years later.
• Evidence (Paragraph 9): “It is estimated that 140,000 Amazonian manatees were killed between 1935 and 1954…”
• Explanation: The passage provides an estimate, but it does not state when this information was “revealed” (whether immediately or years later).

11. TRUE

• Statement: It is predicted that West Indian manatee populations will fall in the coming decades.
• Evidence (Paragraph 10): “Both [subspecies of West Indian manatee] are also expected to undergo a decline of 20% over the next 40 years.”
• Explanation: “Fall” is a synonym for “decline.” “In the coming decades” aligns with “over the next 40 years.”

12. NOT GIVEN

• Statement: The risk to manatees from entanglement and plastic consumption increased significantly in the period 2009–2020.
• Evidence (Paragraph 10): “A review of… cases… from 2009 to 2020 found that at least 700 cases involved manatees.”
• Explanation: The passage provides a total figure (700 cases) for this period but does not compare it to previous periods, so we cannot determine if the risk “increased significantly.”

13. TRUE

• Statement: There is some legislation in place which aims to reduce the likelihood of boat strikes on manatees in Florida.
• Evidence (Paragraph 10): “However, laws in certain parts of Florida now limit boat speeds… allowing slow-moving manatees more time to respond.”
• Explanation: “Laws” is a synonym for “legislation.” Limiting boat speeds is a measure aimed at reducing the likelihood of boat strikes.

Conclusion

The “Manatees” passage is an excellent example of a Reading Passage 1, testing your scanning skills for specific details and your ability to distinguish between “FALSE” and “NOT GIVEN.” By carefully analyzing the biological and environmental characteristics of manatees, you not only practice your test-taking skills but also gain knowledge about one of the ocean’s gentlest mammals. We hope this detailed analysis from ECE helps you feel more confident on your journey to conquering the IELTS.