West Indian manatee

West Indian manatee[1]
Temporal range: Pleistocene-Recent[2][3]
Female Antillean manatee (T. m. manatus) with nursing calf

Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[4] (Overall species)

Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)⠀(Each subspecies: T. m. latirostris[5] and T. m. manatus[6])
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Sirenia
Family: Trichechidae
Genus: Trichechus
Species:
T. manatus
Binomial name
Trichechus manatus
West Indian manatee range

The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), also known as the North American manatee, is a large, aquatic mammal native to warm coastal areas of the Caribbean, from the Eastern United States to northern Brazil. Living alone or in herds, it feeds on underwater plants and uses its whiskers to navigate. It is divided into two subspecies, the Florida manatee (T. m. latirostris) in the United States and the Antillean manatee (T. m. manatus) in the Caribbean,[8][9] both of which are endangered and face pressure from habitat loss, pollution, and other human activity. The West Indian manatee is the largest living member of the sirenians (order Sirenia), a group of large aquatic mammals that includes the dugong, other manatees, and the extinct Steller's sea cow.

Manatees are herbivores, have developed vocal communication abilities, and are covered in highly sensitive whiskers (called vibrissae) that are used for feeding and navigation.[10] In breeding season, several males form mating herds around an individual female; on average, one calf is born to a female manatee every two to three years.[11]

In the 1970s, the West Indian manatee was listed as "endangered" in the United States under the Endangered Species Act, when there were only several hundred left.[12] The decades since have witnessed significant efforts to protect this species from natural and human threats, particularly collisions with watercraft.[13] In 2017, the United States changed the classification to "threatened", citing a substantial increase in the total population.[12][14]

  1. ^ Shoshani, J. (2005). "Order Sirenia". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ "Trichechus manatus Linnaeus 1758 (manatee)". PBDB.
  3. ^ Albright, L. B. III, ed. (2009-01-01). "Collared peccary (Mammalia, Artiodactyla, Tayassuidae, Pecari) from the late Pleistocene of Florida". Papers on Geology, Vertebrate Paleontology, and Biostratigraphy in Honor of Michael O. Woodburne.
  4. ^ Deutsch, C.J.; Self-Sullivan, C.; Mignucci-Giannoni, A. (2008). "Trichechus manatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008: e.T22103A9356917. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T22103A9356917.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  5. ^ Deutsch, C.J.; Self-Sullivan, C. & Mignucci-Giannoni, A. (2008-06-30). "Trichechus manatus latirostris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008-06-30: e.T22106A9359881. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T22106A9359881.en.
  6. ^ Deutsch, C.J.; Self-Sullivan, C. & Mignucci-Giannoni, A. (2008-06-30). "Trichechus manatus manatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008-06-30: e.T22105A9359161. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T22105A9359161.en.
  7. ^ Linnæus, Carl (1758). Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I (in Latin) (10th ed.). Holmiæ: Laurentius Salvius. p. 34. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  8. ^ Domning, Daryl P.; Hayek, Lee-Ann C. (1986). "Interspecific and intraspecific morphological variation in manatees (Sirenia: Trichechus)". Marine Mammal Science. 2 (2): 87–144. Bibcode:1986MMamS...2...87D. doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.1986.tb00034.x.
  9. ^ Hatt, Robert T. (1934). "The American Museum Congo Expedition manatee and other recent manatees". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 66: 533–566.
  10. ^ Gaspard, JC; Bauer, GB; Reep, RL; Dziuk, K; Read, L; Mann, DA (2013). "Detection of Hydrodynamic Stimuli by the Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)". Journal of Comparative Physiology. 199 (6): 441–50. doi:10.1007/s00359-013-0822-x. PMID 23660811. S2CID 9152922.
  11. ^ "South Florida Multi-Species Recovery Plan". 18 May 1999.
  12. ^ a b Daley, Jason (April 3, 2017), "Manatees Move From Endangered to Threatened: But conservationists say the species still faces significant threats", Smithsonian, retrieved April 4, 2017
  13. ^ Martin, Julien; Sabatier, Quentin; Gowan, Timothy A.; Giraud, Christophe; Gurarie, Eliezer; Calleson, Charles Scott; Ortega-Ortiz, Joel G.; Deutsch, Charles J.; Rycyk, Athena; Koslovsky, Stacie M. (2016). "A quantitative framework for investigating risk of deadly collisions between marine wildlife and boats". Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 7 (1): 42–50. Bibcode:2016MEcEv...7...42M. doi:10.1111/2041-210X.12447. ISSN 2041-210X.
  14. ^ "Manatee Reclassified from Endangered to Threatened as Habitat Improves and Population Expands – Existing Federal Protections Remain in Place". fws.gov (Press release). Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. March 30, 2017. Archived from the original on April 7, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2024.