Manatee captive fed diets vary greatly from the manatee’s diet in the wild. In captivity manatees are fed 70-80% of leafy green vegetables, 10-20% of dried forage, and 5% vegetables and fruits. Dried forage are foods such as hay and timothy grass which are often the diets of different equine and cattle. The vegetables and fruits that are fed to manatees consist of romaine lettuce, carrots, apples, etc... Manatees in captivity have done well off of this varying diet, but the exact nutritional needs of a manatee’s diet are unknown.