Play a conservation expert in I Heart Manatees, building your own manatee habitat one tile at a time. Rescue manatees from the ocean, adding them to a habitat that you can fill with their favorite food and fishy friends to score points. Watch out, though, as other players can sabotage your habitat with the menacing bull shark — oh, the hu-manatee...

Each player starts the game with one manatee on a starting tile that can hold up to four manatees. On a turn, take the bottommost tile from one of the four columns of tiles on the game board. Add this tile to your habitat, matching the half-symbols (or lack of symbols) on tiles that are adjacent to one another. When you place two half-symbols next to one another, you can get bonuses or score points. Next, take the action of the column from which you took a tile:

- Add a manatee to your starting tile (if you have room); for each completed breeding symbol in your habitat, add an additional manatee.
- Move a manatee in your habitat from one tile to another. Manatees can't pass through one another (or through the bull shark), and each tile other than the starting tile can have only one manatee on it. For each completed swim symbol, you can move an additional manatee.
- Take a photo card from the four on display: an orange card gives you points at game's end depending on how well you match the condition on it (e.g., a completed fish symbol), and a green card gives you points immediately...but you must match the condition on it to claim the card.

Engage in shark sabotage, first moving the bull shark to an empty tile in another player's habitat, then taking the action on the shark die, either stealing a manatee from another player or placing an extra tile in your habitat.

When a player takes their fifth photo card or the last manatee is removed from the supply, each player takes one more turn, then the game ends. Each manatee in your habitat is worth 1 point per completed food symbol adjacent to it. Add these points to your photo points to see who wins.