A fourth dwarf manatee species was described in the mid-2000s, but this claim was called into question and it is believed to actually be a juvenile Amazonian manatee. Sirenews No. These populations include Florida, Belize, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Brazil. extraction has critically endangered the Amazonian manatee in Ecuador. They are one of three species still existing in the genus Trichechus, the only genus in the family Trichechidae. Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) The smaller Amazonian manatee, or peixe boi (cow fish), is threatened ... To make matters worse, the population is slow to recover; the females produce only one young every three years. 62 8 October 201 4 Size: Amazonian Manatees can be up to 2.8 meters long (almost 9 feet), and weigh between 350 and 500 kg (770-1,100 lbs). Amazonian manatees are found in the murky waters of the Amazon River. Manatee Breeding. There are three manatee species worldwide – West Indian, West African, and Amazonian. 1995). The Amazonian manatees are commonly found in the Amazon Basin in Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. The rough aerial counts by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission show the manatee population at about 4,000 and probably increasing. The Amazonian Manatee Trichechus inunguis (Natterer, 1883) is the only exclusively freshwater sirenian and the smallest of the living species.
This works in their favor as they are able to go for long periods of time without food if they need to. An Amazonian manatee is expected to live an average of 12 years in captivity. So what has caused manatees to become endangered? 2008). Read More.
They are often referred to as the sea cow in this region. The West Indian manatee lives in the United States. The manatee population in Florida is divided into four management units (Northwest, Upper St. John’s River, Atlantic, and Southwest). Seals and Sea Lions. This article is only an excerpt. There are three species of manatee: the Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis); the West Indian manatee, or the American manatee (Trichechus manatus); and the African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis). Manatees are protected under the Endangered Species Act and under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Bearded seal, Beringia distinct population segment (DPS) Erignathus barbatus. Future studies include population-level analyses in Cuba and Brazil and a range-wide study of the West Indian species. Manatees inhabit the shallow, marshy coastal areas and rivers of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico (T. manatus, West Indian manatee), the Amazon basin (T. inunguis, Amazonian manatee), and West Africa (T. senegalensis, West African manatee). All three species - the West Indian, Amazonian, and African manatees are declining in population because they have been heavily hunted, though it is illegal to hunt them in the United States. Males are called bulls and they are ready to mate when they are about 9 or 10 years of age. Guardian of the Amazonian manatee In the often murky waters of the Amazon and its tributaries, it can be hard to spot an Amazonian manatee. … Amazonian manatee reproductive biology is assumed to be similar to its much-better studied relative, the Florida manatee (see O´Shea et al. This study explored whether the Amazonian manatee persists or has been extirpated in the eastern Ecuadorian Amazon utilizing side-scan sonar to Its inability to reduce peripheral heat loss limits its distribution to tropical waters. The West Indian manatee is the only species that lives in the U.S. The African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) ranges the coastal waters and larger rivers from Senegal to Angola. The Amazonian manatee has long been hunted by indigenous people for its meat and hide. (2007) noted that the population of all four units is likely to decrease over the next few decades with the loss of warm water refuges [2]. All three species of manatee (West Indian, West African, Amazonian) are endangered. ... African and Amazonian. Wikipedia Article. Humans, jaguars, crocodiles. 3. Its life expectancy in the wild is unknown. In actuality, it is a subspecies of the West Indian manatee—the Florida manatee—that lives in the U.S. DALLAS (November 3, 2017) – Nearly 3,000 miles from Texas, in the remote Amazon rainforest of Peru, a team of veterinarians, biologists and conservationists from The Dallas World Aquarium’s manatee rescue project has successfully released five rehabilitated Amazonian manatees back into their natural environment near Iquitos, Peru. Their names indicate the regions in which they live. The Amazonian manatee is the smallest member of the manatee family and can be distinguished by its smoother rubbery skin and lack of vestigial nails on its flippers. Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. The adult population of Antillean manatees is likely fewer than 2,500 individuals, and the number of adult Florida manatees is thought to be approximately 2,300. The Amazonian manatee is the only manatee to occur exclusively in freshwater environments. The species is slow-moving a… In 1990, 218 manatees, which comprised 12 percent of the United States’ manatee population, were killed in boating accidents, and many more were injured. The Amazon and West African manatee populations are estimated at 8,000–30,000 adults and 10,000 adults, respectively. INPA has Runge et al. Threats. The Amaz… All three are listed as vulnerable to extinction. Today, the range-wide population is estimated to be at least 13,000 manatees, with more than 6,500 in the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico. The manatees in the U.S. are Florida Manatees, a subspecies of the West Indian. The Amazonian manatee is now legally protected and there is also a new population of manatee that has been established in a Brazil reservoir, but they are still being hunted. According to the IUCN, their population is vulnerable due to hunting, habitat loss, climate change, and calf mortality. Their closest relative is the dugong. There are thought to be fewer than 15,000 African manatees, according to The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), while the Amazonian manatee numbers anywhere from 8,000 to 30,000. Amazonian manatee conservation project, Anavilhanas National Park, Brazil Cristina F. Tofoli. The result of Amazonian manatee hunting in the Ayapuá Lake, low Purus River – “O Paíz das Amazonas” film by Silvino Santos (1922). The species is endemic to the Amazonian region, being distributed throughout the Amazon basin, occurring mainly in calm waters and lakes. Typically, manatees stay in rivers, seas and oceans along the coast of several countries. 10 Facts About Amazonian Manatees: 1. When aerial surveys began in 1991, there were an estimated 1,267 manatees in Florida. Predators. An adult Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis) in captivity. The Amazonian manatee ( Trichechus inunguis ) is the largest aquatic freshwater mammal in South America found in the main rivers of the Amazon Basin. Names: The Amazonian manatee is also referred to as a sea cow, South American manatee, and peixe-boi (in Brazil). 2. With a population around 5,000, that’s nearly 20 percent of the entire species, wiped out in a single year. The African manatee lives along the coast and in the rivers of western Africa. Conversely, the Amazonian manatee (T. inunguis) is highly specialized to freshwater environments and has only been reported in the Amazon River basin so far. French Guiana (FG), an overseas department of France in South America, currently has a manatee population that is likely stable, allegedly belonging to the T. manatus species, estimated to have between 50 and 250 mature … Females are called cows and they are ready to mate around 3 years of … 1: Anatomy Information on reproductive anatomy of Trichechus inunguis is limited to a study with 3 female specimens: a stillborn fetus, a 6-month-old calf and a 6-year-old adult (Rodrigues et al. There are three species of manatees: the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), West African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) and Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis). They have also been seen playing games and having fun with each other. Manatee County, Florida's estimated population is 413,665 with a growth rate of 2.33% in the past year according to the most recent United States census data.Manatee … National Amazonian Research Institute (INPA) personnel handle an Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis) being prepared for release into the wild … There are two major threats: loss of habitat and collisions with boats and ships. A recent project to capture, tag, and release manatees revealed that many bore the scars of encounters with speed boats. The Amazonian manatee species inhabit the Amazon River and the African manatee swims along the west coast and rivers of Africa. The mating process is very interesting when you are talking about the manatee. Future Steps: To date, many manatee populations have been addressed with both the mitochondrial and nuclear markers. ... Three hours spent hauling his boat across 300 meters of mud caused Arraut to wonder how the local manatee population … Amazonian manatees have marching teeth: A unique feature amongst all mammals is that … The IUCN predicts a population decline of at least 30% over the next 60 years. They are one of three species of manatee found between South America and Africa. Furthermore, these slow-moving, blubbery but beautiful creatures are classified as vulnerable, their population at risk from hunting and habitat loss, which makes them all the more difficult to see in the wild. The current population status is unknown because an effective method to observe them in the wild has yet to be developed.