One of the 4 manatees on WAnimals
Mammals · Sirenia · Trichechidae
African Manatee
Trichechus senegalensis
Vulnerable
At high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term.
The African manatee is the only sirenian in Africa and the least known of the three manatees. It occupies an enormous stretch of the Atlantic coast, from Mauritania to Angola, and travels up the great African rivers, especially the Niger, more than 2,000 kilometres from the sea. It is a herbivore but, unlike its American relatives, it also takes molluscs and fish caught in nets. It feeds mainly at night and rests by day in deep water. Poaching, nets and hydroelectric dams are its greatest threats.
Weight
150 kg – 500 kg
Size
3 m – 4 m
Life expectancy
30 years
