A Florida man has captured astonishing video that shows an intelligent manatee drinking from a garden hose like a straw . The hose was hanging over the edge of a dock in Miami Beach when the 'sea cow ' approached and 'grabbed ' onto it with its flippers . It then shoves the end of the hose into its mouth to get its refreshing fill of fresh water , which it requires to survive . Even though manatees are found in salt water , they do not consume it . The large 'sea cow ' swims over to the long blue hose in order to get its much-needed fresh water intake . Filmed from the end of the dock , the manatee can be seen in the water below holding onto a long blue hose with its flippers . It takes a drink from it as the video maker , Lawrence Schiffman , tells the people with him : ‘ I like how he uses his arm to put it into his mouth. ’ The video shows the marine mammal dropping the hose and swimming after it . Debating whether the manatee is a he or she , and deciding to go with the latter , Mr Schiffman continues to give a play-by-play of the animal ’ s actions . The video concludes with the obviously thirsty marine mammal still clutching onto the hose , guzzling water running from an unidentified source . The manatee can be seen using its flipper to grab the hose before it puts it into its mouth like a straw . Manatees are very large , fully aquatic and mostly herbivorous marine mammals . Studies suggest that they must have some access to fresh water for proper regulation of the salt within their bodies . This means that on average they must return to fresh water every one to two weeks to get their fill . Manatees ingest water through actively drinking as well as eating aquatic plants , and are able to move freely between marine environments .
The 'sea cow ' uses its flippers to hold onto the long hose at Florida . Footage shows manatee taking the hose into its mouth and guzzling water . Manatees return to fresh water once every one to two weeks . Even though they are found in salt water they do not consume it .