Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The dugong (/ ˈ d (j) uː ɡ ɒ ŋ /; Dugong dugon) is a marine mammal.It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees.It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas), was hunted to extinction in the 18th century.
Manatee rehabilitation for diseases like cold stress syndrome is possible through the support of veterinary staff, zookeepers, researchers, and volunteers in the field. The number of manatees needing intervention is likely to rise as the number of warm water habitats decrease due to declining spring discharges and retirement of power plants. [98]
The manatee's tail is paddle-shaped, and is the clearest visible difference between manatees and dugongs; a dugong tail is fluked, similar in shape to that of a whale. The manatee is unusual among mammals in having just six cervical vertebrae , [ 11 ] a number that may be due to mutations in the homeotic genes . [ 12 ]
Embrithopods were rhinoceros-like herbivorous mammals with plantigrade feet, and desmostylians were hippopotamus-like amphibious animals. Their walking posture and diet have been the subject of speculation, but tooth wear indicates that desmostylians browsed on terrestrial plants and had a posture similar to other large hoofed mammals.
The foot of a manatee. Manatees are believed to share common ancestry with elephants. Sirenia is the order of placental mammals which comprises modern "sea cows" (manatees and the Dugong) and their extinct relatives. They are the only extant herbivorous marine mammals and the only group of herbivorous mammals to have become completely aquatic.
A humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) A leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx). Marine mammals are mammals that rely on marine (saltwater) ecosystems for their existence. They include animals such as cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), pinnipeds (seals, sea lions and walruses), sirenians (manatees and dugongs), sea otters and polar bears.
The West Indian manatee has a prehensile snout, like their relative the elephant, for grabbing vegetation and bringing it into their mouths. Manatees have six to eight molariform teeth in each jaw quadrant. These molariform teeth are generated at the back of the mouth and slowly migrate towards the front of the mouth, at a rate of 1–2 mm per ...
Similar to an extant manatee's ribs, these ribs provided a ballast and allowed the animal to achieve neutral buoyancy. P. portelli lacked the large, muscular tail used in modern Sirenians to propel through the water column, and skeletal anatomy suggests that they instead garnered propulsive force through spinal undulations, similar to otters.