One of the 4 manatees on WAnimals
Mammals · Sirenia · Trichechidae
Amazonian Manatee
Trichechus inunguis
Vulnerable
At high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term.
The Amazonian manatee is the only sirenian that lives exclusively in fresh water and the smallest of the manatees. It is told apart by a white or pink patch on the chest and by the absence of nails on its flippers. It feeds on the aquatic plants of the flooded forests during the high-water season, and when the waters drop it is confined to deep lakes where it sometimes spends months with almost nothing to eat, living off its fat reserves. Hunting and accidental capture in nets have decimated it.
Weight
120 kg – 420 kg
Size
2.5 m – 3 m
Life expectancy
30 years
