Scientists at Work: The Secret Life of Manatees

Stat: 21. The number of African countries where manatees live.

Story: If you’ve ever seen a manatee, chances are you were in Florida, where these aquatic relatives of the elephant may have poked their faces above the water’s surface to get a look at you. But this episode’s guest studies manatees few have ever seen—the African species that live in remote, murky waters. Host Dan LeDuc talks to 2017 Pew marine fellow Lucy Keith-Diagne about what makes these creatures so fascinating—and the threats facing them.