West Indian manatee
The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) or "sea cow" is a species of manatee. It is the largest living member of the order Sirenia (which also includes dugongs and the extinct Steller's sea cow).
The West Indian manatee is a different species from the Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis) and the African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis).
The Florida manatee and the Antillean manatee are endangered. Federal, state, private, and nonprofit organizations are working to protect these species from natural and human threats, such as collisions with boat propeller blades.[1]
Subspecies
The West Indian manatee has at least two subspecies. One is the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris, abbreviated T. m. latirostris). Another is the Antillean or Caribbean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus, abbreviated T. m. manatus).[2][3]
New research shows that there may be three groups:
- Florida and the Greater Antilles
- Mexico, Central America and northern South America
- Northeastern South America.[4][5]
West Indian Manatee Media
Skull of a West Indian manatee on display at The Museum of Osteology, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Skeleton of American manatee, Trichecus manatus Linnaeus, 1758, 3D model
Manatee from Crystal River, Florida
Basking at Haulover Canal, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida
Sculpture of manatee showing vibrissae
All the hairs of the manatee may be vibrissae
Manatees in a conservation project in Brazilian northeastern coast
Manatee Crossing Sign from South Florida Museum
West Indian manatee skeletons on display at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, North Carolina
References
- ↑ Deutsch C.J; Self-Sullivan C. & & Mignucci-Giannon A. 2008. Trichecus manatus. In 2010 IUCN red list of threatened species (Version 2010.4) Retrieved 6 December 2011 from www.iucnredlist.org
- ↑ Domning, Daryl P. & Hayek, Lee-Ann C. 1986. Interspecific and intraspecific morphological variation in manatees (Sirenia: Trichechus). Marine Mammal Science 2 (2) (1986). p. 87–144. doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.1986.tb00034.x.
- ↑ Hatt, Robert T. 1934. The American Museum Congo Expedition manatee and other recent manatees. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 66. p. 533–566.
- ↑ A. I. Garcia-Rodriguez A.I. et al 1998. Phylogeography of the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus): how many populations and how many taxa?. Molecular Ecology 7 (9) (1998). p. 1137–1149. doi:10.1046/j.1365-294x.1998.00430.x.
- ↑ Vianna J.A. et al 2006. Phylogeography, phylogeny and hybridization in trichechid sirenians: implications for manatee conservation. Molecular Ecology 15 (2) (2006). p. 433–47. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02771.x.
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