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Manatees (/ ˈ m æ n ə t iː z /, family Trichechidae, genus Trichechus) are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows.There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing three of the four living species in the order Sirenia: the Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis), the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), and the West ...
Various human activities threaten manatee populations. There is some cultural significance in certain areas of South America and the Caribbean that manatees are used as a food source since pre-Columbian times. In these areas and the Amazon basin manatees are a center point if folklore and local myths since before European expansion.
Manatees do not have incisors; these have been replaced by horny gingival plates. [50] Some individuals may also inadvertently eat invertebrates (such as small aquatic insects and crustaceans) and will eat fish both in captivity and in the wild. [47] [48] Manatees are nonruminants with an enlarged hindgut. Unlike other hindgut fermenters, such ...
In 2021 and 2022, Florida’s manatee population took a hit as thousands of manatees died of starvation. Manatees were dying in record-breaking numbers. But that trend may be slowing down
Caribbean manatees (Trichechus manatus) are a tropical marine mammal threatened from survival throughout their range in the United States (US), Mexico, Caribbean Sea, Central and South America. It is highly endangered in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, mostly by human causes in the form of poaching and watercraft mortality. While over 4,800 ...
Manatees may become stranded or injured by debris during hurricanes. In years past, they have been discovered after hurricanes in a dry bay , in a golf course pond and a retention pond .
In the wake of thousands of Florida manatee deaths in recent years, federal wildlife officials Wednesday announced they will launch a new scientific review to determine whether the animal should ...
In 1996 ,manatees were placed under protection through Fishery Decree Law 164. This law provided penalties against those who manipulate, harm, or injure manatees. The hunting of manatees in Cuba in the 1990s may have been the result of economic hardship, with the manatees being seen as a source of protein. [71]