iWest Indian Manatee
Conservation status
Vulnerable (VU)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Sirenia Family: Trichechidae Genus: Trichechus Species: T. manatus
Binomial name
Trichechus manatus Linnaeus, 1758

A group of three West Indian manatees.

The West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) is a manatee, and the largest member of the aquatic mammal order Sirenia (which also includes the Dugong and Steller's Sea Cow). Based on genetic and morphological studies, the West Indian Manatee is divided into two sub-species, the Florida Manatee and the Antillean Manatee (or Caribbean Manatee). Image File history File links Manatee1. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ... A vulnerable species is one whose chances of extinction characterize it as threatened but not quite as endangered. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera Subregnum Eumetazoa Placozoa Orthonectida Rhombozoa Radiata (unranked) Ctenophora Cnidaria Bilateria (unranked) Acoelomorpha Myxozoa Superphylum Deuterostomia Chordata Hemichordata Echinodermata Chaetognatha Xenoturbellida Superphylum Ecdysozoa Kinorhyncha Loricifera Priapulida Nematoda Nematomorpha Onychophora Tardigrada Arthropoda Superphylum Platyzoa Platyhelminthes Gastrotricha Rotifera Acanthocephala Gnathostomulida Micrognathozoa Cycliophora Superphylum Lophotrochozoa Sipuncula Nemertea Phoronida Bryozoa Entoprocta... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Multituberculata (extinct) Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Australosphenida Ausktribosphenida Monotremata Subclass Eutheria (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Anagaloidea (extinct) Arctostylopida (extinct) Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Cingulata Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Dinocerata (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Leptictida (extinct) Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata... Families Dugongidae Trichechidae Hydrochichus (extinct) For information about the Gothic metal band, see Sirenia (band) The Sirenia are fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries and coastal marine waters. ... Species Trichechus inunguis Trichechus manatus Trichechus senegalensis Manatees (family Trichechidae, genus Trichechus) are large aquatic mammals sometimes known as sea cows. ... Species Trichechus inunguis Trichechus manatus Trichechus senegalensis Manatees (family Trichechidae, genus Trichechus) are large aquatic mammals sometimes known as sea cows. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[1] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... 1758 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: Sirenia ... Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: Sirenia ... Species Trichechus inunguis Trichechus manatus Trichechus senegalensis Manatees (family Trichechidae, genus Trichechus) are large aquatic mammals sometimes known as sea cows. ... Families Dugongidae Trichechidae Hydrochichus (extinct) For information about the Gothic metal band, see Sirenia (band) The Sirenia are fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries and coastal marine waters. ... Binomial name Dugong dugon (Müller, 1776) Dugongs (Dugong dugon) are the smallest members of the order Sirenia (which also includes the manatees and Stellers Sea Cow), with adults generally growing to less than 3 meters long. ... Binomial name Hydrodamalis gigas (Zimmermann, 1780) Stellers Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) is an extinct large sirenian mammal formerly found near the Asiatic coast of the Bering Sea. ...

Physical description

Like other manatees, the West Indian Manatee has adapted fully to an aquatic life style, having no hind limbs. Pelage cover is sparsely distributed across the body, which many play a role in reducing the build-up of algae on the skin. The average West Indian Manatee is approximately 3 meters long, and weighs between 400 and 600 kg, with females generally larger than males. The largest individuals can weigh up to 1,500 kg. The Manatee's color is gray or brown. In mammals, pelage is the hair, fur, or wool that covers the animal. ... A seaweed (Laurencia) up close: the branches are multicellular and only about 1 mm thick. ...

Habitat and geographic range

As its name implies, the West Indian Manatee lives in the West Indies, generally in shallow coastal areas. However, it is known to withstand large changes in water salinity, and so have also been found in shallow rivers and estuaries. It is limited to the tropics and sub-tropics due to an extremely low metabolic rate and lack of a thick layer of insulating body fat. During summer, these large mammals have even been found as far north as Rhode Island. The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water which has a free connection with the open sea and within which sea water mixes with fresh water. ... Remains of seventeenth century blubber cauldrons at the abandoned Dutch settlement of Smeerenburg in Svalbard, Norway This article is about the body tissue. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Behavior and food

The West Indian Manatee is surprisingly agile in water, and individuals have been seen doing rolls, somersaults, and even swimming upside-down. Manatees are not territorial and do not have complex predator avoidance behavior, as they have evolved in areas without natural predators.

The West Indian Manatee is an opportunistic feeder, with large adults feasting on nearly 100 kg of sea grasses and plant leaves daily. Because manatees feed on abrasive plants, their molars are often worn down and are continually replaced throughout life. They are also known to eat invertebrates and fish.

Reproduction

Although female West Indian Manatees are mostly solitary creatures, they form mating herds while in estrus. Most females breed successfully between ages of seven and nine, however, females are capable of reproduction as early as four years of age. Gestation period lasts from twelve to fourteen months. Normally, one calf is born, although on rare occasions two have been recorded. The young are born with molars and premolars, allowing them to consume sea grass within the first three weeks of birth. Estrus (also spelled œstrus) or heat in female mammals is the period of greatest female sexual responsiveness usually coinciding with ovulation. ...

Manatee relationship with humans

The West Indian Manatee has been hunted for hundreds of years for meat and hide, and continues to be hunted to this day in Central and South America. Illegal poaching, as well as collisions with speeding motorboats, are a constant source of manatee fatalities.

Due to their low reproductive rates, a decline in manatee population may be hard to overcome. They enjoy protection from the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the U.S. Marine Mammal Act of 1972.

Trivia

The Florida Manatee is that state's official marine mammal and is a focus of tourist interest.

Pictures

Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: Sirenia ... Image File history File links FL_fig04. ... Image File history File links Papilloma_graphic6a. ... Image File history File links Papilloma_graphic5a. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1552x1196, 1413 KB) http://www. ...

References

• Sirenia Specialist Group (1996). Trichechus manatus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Vulnerable (VU A2d v2.3)
• Shoshani, Jeheskel (November 16, 2005). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 93. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

External links

• ARKive - images and movies of the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus)
• Animal Diversity Website: Trichechus manatus
• West Indian manatee from sirenian.org