West Indian manatee
The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) or "sea cow" is a 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 (T. inunguis) and the African manatee (T. senegalensis). The West Indian manatee is in two subspecies, the Florida manatee (T. m. latirostris) and the Antillean or Caribbean manatee (T. m. manatus).[1][2] New research shows that there may be three groups:
- Florida and the Greater Antilles
- Mexico, Central America and northern South America
- Northeastern South America.[3][4]
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.[5]
West Indian Manatee Media
Skull of a West Indian manatee on display at The Museum of Osteology, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
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
- ↑ Domning, Daryl P. & Hayek, Lee-Ann C. 1986 (1986). "Interspecific and intraspecific morphological variation in manatees (Sirenia: Trichechus)". Marine Mammal Science. 2 (2): 87–144. doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.1986.tb00034.x.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ 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.
- ↑ A. I. Garcia-Rodriguez A.I. et al 1998 (1998). "Phylogeography of the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus): how many populations and how many taxa?". Molecular Ecology. 7 (9): 1137–1149. doi:10.1046/j.1365-294x.1998.00430.x. PMID 9734072. S2CID 36860021.
- ↑ Vianna J.A. et al 2006 (2006). "Phylogeography, phylogeny and hybridization in trichechid sirenians: implications for manatee conservation". Molecular Ecology. 15 (2): 433–47. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02771.x. PMID 16448411. S2CID 6130316.
- ↑ 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