One of the 4 manatees on WAnimals
Mammals · Sirenia · Trichechidae
Trichechus manatus
At high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term.
Unlike almost every other mammal — the giraffe and its relatives the elephants included — it has only six neck vertebrae instead of seven, which stops it turning its head independently of its body.
Weight
450 kg – 1.6 t
Size
2.7 m – 4 m
Life expectancy
60 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Irregular activity
Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Moderate
AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.
Sources consulted: Menjelajahi Perbedaan Manatee Dugong (traducido); ScienceDirect (Amazonian manatee progesterone study); Anatomical Record (Amazonian manatee reproductive anatomy study); FWC Florida; NPS Mammals; Ocean Info (Dugong vs Manatee)
Best time: From December to March in Florida, when it gathers at warm springs and at the warm outflows of power stations.
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 19 of 23.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with West Indian Manatee — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The west indian manatee is classified as vulnerable. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 11 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Based on what we already know about west indian manatee.
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The pins mark the parks and dive sites where its presence is documented.
