Manatee Research Paper

Anthony Greenwood

Jonathan Cole

Course Title

April 12, 2015

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)

Female manatees are not sexually mature until the age of five. Manatees

only breed in 3-5 year intervals. Female manatees do are not bound to their mates and are typically followed by a herd of males. Breeding does not have a set time it can happen at any time, but mostly in the spring/summer do to their preferred living conditions. Manatees never leave the water, but must come up for air like all aquatic mammals. They travel in pairs, alone, or in small groups. Manatees are unable to acclimate to water below 63 degrees Fahrenheit. They migrate during to warmer water during seasonal changes. Manatees are creatures of habit, returning to the same springs, basins, canals, and power plants each season. (Life Cycle of a Manatee, 2015)
Like non-ruminant herbivores the manatee has an enlarged hindgut in the GI tract also seen in horses. Manatees have important glands called the: cardiac gland, sub-mucosal mucous glands and the manatee’s stomach has a larger curvature. Although they have slower passage of digested food, they have a more efficient teardown of fibrous plant substances. (NCBI, 1996).
The manatee’s lineage dates back over 60 million years and with today’s science research abilities, they are believed to have been land animals and closely related to the elephant. Due to land environment conditions they had to evolve to survive in water. The process of evolution for the manatees is believed to be caused by bone mutations that made the transition from land to water possible. Sadly the evolution of the manatee has left them still trying to adapt and survive predators and natural circumstances. The Florida manatee is one of the most endangered species in America. They may become completely extinct within the next 100 years. (Manatee Evolution, 2015)
Long lived Manatees have unique and permanent identifiers, which are mostly scars from encounters with boat propellers. The manatee is capable of living 60+ years, The longer they live the greater the chance they have multiple scars on them.

References

NCBI. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2015, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8800413

Life Cycle of a Manatee. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2015, from http://animals.pawnation.com/life-cycle-manatee-2807.html

Manatee Evolution. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2015, from http://www.manatee-world.com/manatee-evolution/