Manatees, or sea cows, are quite different creatures of the sea. Not only do they swim slowly and awkwardly, they tend to have a rather awkward appearance to accompany this behavior. Even though many haweve heard about these majestic marine mammals, few understand everything there is to know about them. There are three main types of manatees: the West African manatee, the Amazonian manatee, and the West Indian manatee. The West Indian manatees themselves can be divided into multiple subspecies: the American, Antillean, Caribbean, North American, and Florida manatees. Though there are several kinds of manatees, the West Indian manatee is the most well known in North America.
The taxonomy (Appendix A) of the manatee begins with the kingdom Animilia. After the kingdom, comes the phylum Chordata, and then the class of Mammilia, which is a combination of the human population and most vertebrates. The connection with other mammals ends there. The manatees are then put into a much smaller order, which consists of only three species (one being extinct), with the name of Sirenia. This order obtained its name because of the thought that they looked like Greek mythological creatures called Sirens or mermaids. Biochemical analysis of proteins has been used to determine the distinct relatives of the manatees. These relatives include elephants, aardvarks, and hyraxes. The similarities between these mammals include the lack of collarbone and having nails instead of claws. Adding on to this belief of these mammals being related, evolutionists believe that manatees actually evolved from some kind of wading, plant eating animal (Save the Manatees Club).
The exterior anatomy (Appendix B) of a manatee is not as complex as one would think. It i...
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Manatees, commonly called Sea Cow, are large aquatic mammals that are found in warm coastal areas, rivers and warm water springs in the Amazon Basin, West Africa, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and the Southeastern United States. Manatees can be found in salt water, fresh water and brackish water. They spend most of their time eating aquatic plants, resting, migrating and nurturing their young. The manatee species has evolved over the last 45 million years. The adult manatee evolved into an average of approximately 10 feet long and weighs between 800 and 1,200 pounds (Site This).
dugongs is the “sea cow”. This name is most likely from the fact that manatees
Bottle-nosed dolphins are generally coastal creatures, occurring along almost all tropical and temperate coasts, although offshore varieties also occur. In addition, the Bottle-nosed dolphin is called the "all-ocean" dolphin, meaning that it lives in every ocean. It is common for a school of 20 dolphins to live together in coastal regions, but school of 200 dolphins are found in the offshore verities. These schools do not seem to have a leader and generally stay together for life.
The West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) is a marine mammal that lives in the coastal waters and around the offshore reefs of Belize. Manatees have large gray bodies covered with algae or barnacles. They are herbivores that consume marine vegetation such as sea grass and surface regularly to breathe. They reside in sea grass beds and in mangroves that provide them with shelter. The West Indian Manatee is listed as vulnerable under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and may eventually be listed as endangered. They are at a huge risk of decline due to coastal development and other changes to the environment (Auil). Manatees are facing countless risks and deaths as the human population increases in varying locations. According to the National Geographic, in the year of 2013, there have been a total of 829 known manatee deaths which has been the highest toll since biologists started to keep records of this species. Manatees have no natural enemy, so their deaths are caused by human interaction. These are entanglements in nets, destruction of habitat, collisions with watercraft, and hunting.
The author of the article states, according to the U.S. Fish and Wild Life Service, it estimated that 6,350 manatees reside along the coastal Southeastern states, a count that led the
"Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 06 Jan. 2014. .
C. didactylus has 5 to 7, while B. tridactylus has 8 or 9 (BioMed Central, 2011). When compared to skeletons of related species to both sloths (e.g. anteaters and armadillos), none of the related species showed an unusual amount of cervical vertebrae. However, manatees have only 6 cervical vertebrae (Hautier, Weisbecker, Sanchez-Villagra, Goswami, & Asher, 2014). While all mammals need 7 cervical vertebrae to survive, it is remarkable to see these three species survive with their abnormal number of cervical vertebrae. As we discussed in class, having any more or less than 7 cervical vertebrae can be deadly to the organism. It is hypothesized that the low metabolic and activity rates of sloths protected them from the harmful effects from having an abnormal amount of cervical vertebrae (Varela-Lasheras, et al.,
Have you ever met a prodigious manatee or dugong? Georg Wilhelm Steller has, this marine mammal was called Steller’s sea cow. This prehistoric animal was discovered in 1741 and disappeared from the face of the earth in 1768. Steller’s sea cow is an important animal to learn about because of the way they looked, the time period they lived in, and the surprising facts about them.
Perrin, William, Bernd Wursig, and J. Thewissen. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Academic Press, 2008. 787. Print.
Whales are considered to be intelligent mammals, but they live in the water despite the fact that mammals evolved on land. Paleontologist Phil Gingerich has been studying the evolution of whales since 1978. In 1978, he and his team discovered a rock in Pakistan with a skull on the inside. The skull appeared to be a wolf-like animal upon first sight, but Gingerich noticed the distinct whale ear on the skull. The skull, which had characteristics of both whales and other mammals, was that of a common ancestor of the whale known as Pakicetus. Many scientists believe that Pakicetus resembled the seal in its appearance. Pakicetus could not be considered a whale, since its backbone and limbs do not have similar features to those of a whale. Therefore, it is considered an ancestor of the whale, since it has some features of the whale and some unique features (or features of other mammals). Today’s whales have mammalian characteristics, which prove that they have evolved from a common ancestor of the mammal. A whale’s fin also has traits that are common of many species. The fin seems to be similar to that of a fish, but the bones on the inside of the fin are similar to those on a bird’s wing, a monkey’s arm, and a frog’s limb. This seems to be proof that these organisms, and many others, all evolved from a common ancestor. Other proof that whales have evolved over time lies in Egypt in the Valley of Whales, where over 400 fossils of whales currently lie. The desert used to be a large sea that was home to a few kinds of whales. In the Valley of Whales, Gingerich discovered the Basilosaurus, which had small hind legs, toes, and a mobile knee and lived 35-41 million years ago. This fossil is considered to be a transitional fossil, since it ha...
To go for an actual skeleton tour and see these specimens so intact and will preserved is surreal. This tour showed me how little I now, I did not even now that dolphins have advance bone structure, and how bone structures make them look and function differently in life. So this turn to be fun learning experience and have changed my perception of since learning, comparing skeletons is fun and for a while I forgot I was working on an assignment. The set-up of the skeletons were great, an excellent overall learning environment, very informative and interesting at the same time.
The manatee is a large, bulky aquatic mammal with flippered forelimbs and a spatula-shaped tail. Manatees can grow to 12 feet in length and weigh up to 3500 pounds. They may live to be 50 years old. It might be very difficult to imagine, but manatees (also known as 'sea cows') share a common ancestor with elephants, but did not evolve from the elephant, the elephant is considered the manatee's closest living relative. The manatee's vaguely human-like face is sometimes described as one only a mother could love. Indeed, it is difficult to understand how sailors ever mistook a manatee for a beautiful
Sirenia: Trichechidae (the manatee) is a large, mostly herbivorous, aquatic mammal. Manatees are often referred to as “sea cows.” There are three recorded species of manatees: the Amazonian manatee “Trichechus inunguis,” the West Indian manatee “Trichechus manatus,” and the West African manatee “Trichechus senegalensis.” There is also the Trichechus pygmaeus (The dwarf manatee). This species has yet to be validated. I live in Florida where the manatee can be found throughout Florida’s abundant warm water locations. Manatees reside in warm water, shallow rivers, bays, estuaries and coastal waters. (Google, 2014)
Jefferson, T. A, M. A. Webber, and R. L. Pitman. (2008). Marine Mammals of the World, A Comprehensive Guide to their Identification. Amsterdam, Elsevier. p. 241-244.