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| {{Taxobox | |||
| | name = Manatees | |||
| | image = FL fig04.jpg | |||
| | image_width = 250px | |||
| | image_caption = Antillean manatee | |||
| | regnum = ] | |||
| | phylum = ] | |||
| | classis = ]ia | |||
| |infraclassis = ] | |||
| | ordo = ] | |||
| | familia = '''Trichechidae''' | |||
| | familia_authority = ], 1872 | |||
| | genus = '''''Trichechus''''' | |||
| | genus_authority = ], 1758 | |||
| | subdivision_ranks = ] | |||
| | subdivision = | |||
| '']''<br /> | |||
| '']''<br /> | |||
| '']''<br /> | |||
| '']'' (validity questionable) | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Manatees''' (] '''Trichechidae''', ] '''''Trichechus''''') are large, fully aquatic, mostly ] ]s sometimes known as '''sea cows'''. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing three of the four living species in the order ]: the ] (''Trichechus inunguis''), the ] (''Trichechus manatus''), and the ] (''Trichechus senegalensis''). They measure up to {{convert|13|ft}} long, weigh as much as {{convert|1300|lb}},<ref>http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/west-indian-manatee/</ref> and have paddle-like flippers. The name ''manatí'' comes from the ], a ] people of the ], meaning "breast".<ref>{{cite web | |||
| | title = What's in a name? Manatees and Dugongs | |||
| | publisher = Smithsonian National Zoological Park | |||
| | year = 2000 | accessdate = May 2010 | |||
| | url = http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Whats_in_a_name/default.cfm?id=37 | |||
| }}</ref> | |||
| ==Taxonomy== | |||
| they are plants | |||
| ==Description== | |||
| ] of a manatee and calf, on display at ], ]]] | |||
| Manatees have a mass of {{convert|400|to|550|kg|lb}}, and mean length of {{convert|2.8|to|3.0|m|ft}}, with maxima of {{convert|3.6|m|ft}} and {{convert|1775|kg|lb}} seen (the females tend to be larger and heavier). When born, baby manatees have an average mass of {{convert|30|kg|lb}}. They have a large, flexible, ] upper lip. They use the lip to gather food and eat, as well as using it for social interactions and communications. Manatees have shorter snouts than their fellow ]ns, the ]s. Their small, widely-spaced eyes have eyelids that close in a circular manner. The adults have no ] or ] teeth, just a set of cheek teeth, which are not clearly differentiated into ]s and ]s. Uniquely among mammals, these ], with new teeth growing at the rear as older teeth fall out from farther forward in the mouth. At any given time, a manatee typically has no more than six teeth in each jaw of its mouth.<ref name=EoM/> Its tail is paddle-shaped, and is the clearest visible difference between manatees and dugongs; a dugong tail is fluked, similar in shape to a that of a whale. | |||
| Like ]s, they have a simple stomach, but a large ], in which they can digest tough plant matter. In general, their intestines have a typical length of about 45 meters, which are unusually long for animals of their size.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| |url=http://www.buzzle.com/articles/interesting-facts-about-manatees-sea-cows.html | |||
| |title=Interesting Facts about Manatees (Sea Cows) | |||
| |accessdate=2011-06-28 | |||
| |author = Ningthoujam Sandhyarani | |||
| |publisher = Buzzle.com}}</ref> | |||
| ==Life history== | |||
| Half a manatee's day is spent sleeping in the water, surfacing for air regularly at intervals no greater than 20 minutes. Manatees spend most of the rest of the time grazing in shallow waters at depths of {{convert|1|-|2|m|ft}}. The Florida subspecies (''T. m. latirostris'') has been known to live up to 60 years. | |||
| ===Swimming=== | |||
| On average, manatees swim at about {{convert|5|to|8|km/h|mph}}. However, they have been known to swim at up to {{convert|30|km/h|mph}} in short bursts. | |||
| ===Intelligence=== | |||
| Manatees are capable of understanding discrimination tasks, and show signs of complex associated learning and advanced long term memory.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Gerstein | first1 = E.R. | year = 1994 | title = The manatee mind: Discrimination training for sensory perception testing of West Indian manatees (''Trichechus manatus'') | url = | journal = Mar. Mammals | volume = 1 | issue = | pages = 10–21 }}</ref> They demonstrate complex discrimination and task-learning similar to ]s and ]s in ] and visual studies.<ref name=GulDie>(Marine Mammal Medicine, 2001, Leslie Dierauf & Frances Gulland, CRC Press)</ref> | |||
| ===Reproduction=== | |||
| Manatees typically breed once every two years, ] lasts about 12 months, and it takes a further 12 to 18 months to ] the calf. Only a single calf is born at a time and aside from mothers with their young or males following a receptive female, manatees are generally solitary creatures.<ref name=EoM>{{cite book |editor=Macdonald, D.|author= Best, Robin|year=1984 |title= The Encyclopedia of Mammals|publisher= Facts on File|location=New York|pages= 292–298|isbn= 0-87196-871-1}}</ref> | |||
| ==Ecology== | |||
| ===Range and habitat=== | |||
| ] | |||
| Manatees inhabit the shallow, ]y coastal areas and rivers of the ] and the ] (''T. manatus'', ]), the ] (''T. inunguis'', ]), and ] (''T. senegalensis'', ]).<ref> - smithsonianmag.com. Accessed March 15, 2008.</ref> | |||
| West Indian manatees enjoy warmer waters and are known to congregate in shallow waters, and frequently migrate through ] ] to ] ]. They cannot survive below 15°C (60°F). Their natural source for warmth during winter is warm, spring-fed rivers. | |||
| ] | |||
| ====West Indian==== | |||
| The coast of Georgia is usually the northernmost range of the West Indian manatees because their low metabolic rate does not protect them in cold water. Prolonged exposure to water temperatures below {{convert|68|F}} can bring about "cold stress syndrome" and death.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Rebecca | last=Basu | title=Winter is culprit in manatee death toll | url=http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100301/NEWS01/3010320/Winter-is-culprit-in-manatee-death-toll| work= | publisher=Florida Today | location=Melbourne, Florida | pages= 1A | date=1 March 2010 | id= | accessdate=}}</ref> | |||
| Florida manatees can move freely between ] extremes. | |||
| Manatees have been spotted as far north as ], and as recently as the late summer of 2006, one was seen in New York City and ]'s ], as cited in '']''. According to ]'s '']'' newspaper, one manatee was spotted in the ] harbor near the ] in downtown ], on October 23, 2006, though it was later found dead ten miles downriver in McKellar Lake. | |||
| The West Indian manatee migrates into Florida rivers, such as the ], the ], and the ]s. The headsprings of these rivers maintain a 22°C (72°F) temperature year round. During November to March, approximately 400 West Indian manatees (according to the ]) congregate in the rivers in ]. | |||
| During the winter months, manatees often congregate near the warm water outflows of power plants along the coast of Florida instead of migrating south as they once did, causing some conservations to worry they have become too reliant on these artificially-warmed areas.<ref>{{cite news | |||
| |url = http://www2.tbo.com/content/2011/jan/07/100913/can-manatees-survive-without-warm-waters-from-powe/ | |||
| |title =Can manatees survive without warm waters from power plants? | |||
| |author = Keith Morelli | |||
| |publisher = The Tampa Tribune | |||
| |date = January 7, 2011 | |||
| |accessdate = 2011-06-28}}</ref> The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is trying to find a new way to heat the water for manatees that are dependent on plants that have closed. The main water treatment plant in ] has four manatees that keep storage canals clear of weeds; there are also some in the ponds of the National Park in ]. | |||
| Studies suggest Florida manatees must have some access to fresh water for proper ]. | |||
| Accurate population estimates of the Florida manatee (''T. manatus'') are notoriously difficult and have been called scientifically weak;<ref>(U.S. Marine Mammal Commission 1999)</ref> with widely varying counts from year to year, some areas show increases and others decreases, with very little strong evidence of increases except in two areas. Manatee counts are highly variable without an accurate way to estimate numbers:in Florida in 1996, a winter survey found 2,639 manatees; in 1997, a January survey found 2,229; and a February survey found 1,706.<ref name=GulDie/> A statewide synoptic survey in January 2010 found 5,067 manatees living in Florida, which is a new record count.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Exceptional weather conditions lead to record high manatee count|publisher=Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission|date=January 20, 2010|url=http://myfwc.com/Newsroom/10/statewide/News_10_X_ManateeSynoptic2010.htm|accessdate=30 December 2010}}</ref> | |||
| ] studies carried out in 1997 found that decreasing adult survival and eventual extinction is a probable future outcome for Florida manatees, without additional protection.<ref>(Marmontel, Humphrey, O'Shea 1997, Population Variability Analysis of the Florida Manatee, 1976-1992, ''Conserv. biol''., 11: 467-481)</ref> | |||
| Fossil remains of Florida manatee ancestors date back about 45 million years. | |||
| ====Amazonian==== | |||
| The freshwater Amazonian manatee (''T. inunguis'') inhabits the Amazon River and its tributaries, and never ventures into salt water. | |||
| ====West African==== | |||
| They are found in coastal marine and estuarine habitats, and in freshwater river systems along the west coast of Africa from the ] south to the ] in ], including areas in ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. | |||
| They live as far upriver on the ] as ]. | |||
| ===Communication=== | |||
| They emit a wide range of sounds used in communication, especially between cows and their calves. Adults communicate to maintain contact and during sexual and play behaviors. Taste and smell, in addition to sight, sound, and touch, may also be forms of communication. | |||
| ===Diet=== | |||
| Manatees are ]s and eat over 60 different plant species, such as ] leaves, ], and types of algae. Using its divided upper lip, an adult manatee will commonly eat up to 10% of its body weight (about 50 kg) per day. Manatees have been known to eat small amounts of fish from nets.<ref name="powell">{{cite journal| last = Powell| first = James| title = Evidence for carnivory in manatee (''Trichechus manatus'')| journal =Journal of Mammalogy| volume = 59| issue = 2 | pages = 442| publisher =| year = 1978| doi = 10.2307/1379938| jstor = 1379938}}</ref> | |||
| ===Predation=== | |||
| Manatees have few natural predators. Nevertheless, ]s, ]s and ]s have been known to prey on manatees from time to time.{{citation needed|date=April 2011}} Overall, however, predation does not present a significant threat to the survival of any manatee species. | |||
| ==Relation to humans== | |||
| ]|alt=Photo of manatee next to kayak]] | |||
| ] | |||
| ===Threats=== | |||
| The main causes of death for the sea cows are human-related issues, such as habitat destruction and human objects, and natural causes, such as temperatures and disease. | |||
| ====Ship strikes==== | |||
| <!-- Deleted image removed: ] --> | |||
| Their slow-moving, curious nature, coupled with dense coastal development, has led to many violent collisions with propeller-driven boats and ships, leading frequently to maiming, disfigurement, and even death. As a result, a large proportion of manatees exhibit spiral cutting propeller scars on their backs, usually caused by larger vessels that do not have skegs in front of the propellers like the smaller outboard and inboard-outboard recreational boats have.. They are now even identified by humans based on their scar patterns. Many manatees have been cut in half by large vessels like ships and tug boats, even in the highly populated lower St Johns River's narrow channels. Some are concerned that the current situation is inhumane, with upwards of 50 scars and disfigurements from vessel strikes on a single manatee.<ref></ref> Often, the cuts lead to infections, which can prove fatal. Internal injuries stemming from being trapped between hulls and docks and impacts have also been fatal. | |||
| Manatees hear on a higher frequency than would be expected for such large marine mammals. Many large boats emit very low frequencies which confuse the manatee and explain their lack of awareness around boats. National Geographic has done experiments proving that when a boat has a higher frequency the manatees rapidly swim away from danger.<ref></ref> | |||
| In 2003, a population model was released by the ] that predicted an extremely grave situation confronting the manatee in both the Southwest and Atlantic regions where the vast majority of manatees are found. It states, | |||
| :"In the absence of any new management action, that is, if boat mortality rates continue to increase at the rates observed since 1992, the situation in the Atlantic and Southwest regions is dire, with no chance of meeting recovery criteria within 100 years."<ref></ref> | |||
| :"Hurricanes, cold stress, red tide poisoning and a variety of other maladies threaten manatees, but by far their greatest danger is from watercraft strikes, which account for about a quarter of Florida manatee deaths," said study curator John Jett.<ref name=uf></ref> | |||
| According to marine mammal ]s: | |||
| :"The severity of mutilations for some of these individuals can be astounding - including long term survivors with completely severed tails, major tail mutilations, and multiple disfiguring dorsal lacerations. These injuries not only cause gruesome wounds, but may also impact population processes by reducing calf production (and survival) in wounded females - observations also speak to the likely pain and suffering endured".<ref name=GulDie/> In an example, they cited one case study of a small calf "with a severe dorsal mutilation trailing a decomposing piece of dermis and muscle as it continued to accompany and nurse from its mother...by age 2 its dorsum was grossly deformed and included a large protruding rib fragment visible."<ref name=GulDie/> | |||
| These veterinarians go on to state: | |||
| :"the overwhelming documentation of gruesome wounding of manatees leaves no room for denial. Minimization of this injury is ''explicit'' in the Recovery Plan, several state statutes, and federal laws, and ''implicit'' in our society's ethical and moral standards."<ref name=GulDie/> | |||
| In 2009, of the 429 Florida manatees recorded dead, 97 were killed by commercial and recreational vessels, which broke the earlier record number of 95 set in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://research.myfwc.com/features/category_sub.asp?id=2241|title=Manatee Mortality Statistics|publisher=Fish and Wildlife Research Institute|accessdate=30 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | |||
| | title = Manatee Deaths From Boat Strikes Approach Record: Club Asks For Boaters’ Urgent Help | |||
| | publisher = Save the Manatee Club | |||
| | accessdate = May 2010 | |||
| | url = http://www.savethemanatee.org/news_oped_mortality_12-09.html | |||
| }}</ref> | |||
| ====Red tide==== | |||
| Another cause of manatee deaths is the ], a term used for the proliferation, or "blooms", of the microscopic marine algae of the species '']'', a member of the ]s that produces ]s that can have toxic effects on the central nervous systems of creatures in the area of the ].<ref>{{cite journal | |||
| | title = Brevetoxicosis: Red tides and marine mammal mortalities | |||
| | journal = Nature | issue = 7043| pages = 755–756 | |||
| | date = 9 June 2005 | accessdate = May 2010 | |||
| | doi=10.1038/nature435755a | |||
| | url = http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v435/n7043/full/nature435755a.html | |||
| | pmid = 15944690 | |||
| | last1 = Flewelling | |||
| | first1 = LJ | |||
| | last2 = Naar | |||
| | first2 = JP | |||
| | last3 = Abbott | |||
| | first3 = JP | |||
| | last4 = Baden | |||
| | first4 = DG | |||
| | last5 = Barros | |||
| | first5 = NB | |||
| | last6 = Bossart | |||
| | first6 = GD | |||
| | last7 = Bottein | |||
| | first7 = MY | |||
| | last8 = Hammond | |||
| | first8 = DG | |||
| | last9 = Haubold | |||
| | first9 = EM | |||
| | volume = 435 | |||
| | pmc = 2659475 | |||
| }}</ref> | |||
| In 1996, a red tide was responsible for 151 manatee deaths.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| | title = Beachgoers Beware: Red Tide Outbreaks in Florida | |||
| | publisher = Save the Manatee Club | |||
| | accessdate = May 2010 | |||
| | url = http://www.savethemanatee.org/news_feature_red_tide_07.html | |||
| }}</ref> The epidemic began on March 5 and continued through April 28, wiping out approximately 15% of the known population of manatees along South Florida's western coast.<ref>{{cite news | |||
| | title = Scientists Say Toxin in Red Tide Killed Scores of Manatees | |||
| | publisher = New York Times | |||
| | date = July 5, 1996 | accessdate = May 2010 | |||
| | url = http://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/05/us/scientists-say-toxin-in-red-tide-killed-scores-of-manatees.html?pagewanted=1 | |||
| }}</ref> | |||
| In 1982, another outbreak resulted in 37 deaths,<ref>{{cite news | |||
| | title = Mystery epidemic killing manatees | page = 38 | |||
| | publisher = Local & State | |||
| | date = April 9, 1996 | accessdate = May 2010 | |||
| | url = http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19960409&id=0B8VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dgcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5443,3325057 | |||
| }}</ref> and in 2005, 44 more deaths were attributed to the blooms. | |||
| ====Additional threats==== | |||
| Manatees occasionally ingest fishing gear (hooks, metal weights, etc.) while feeding. These foreign materials do not appear to harm manatees, except for ] or string, which can clog a manatee's digestive system and slowly kill it. | |||
| Manatees can also be crushed in water control structures (navigation locks, ]s, etc.), drown in pipes and ]s, and are occasionally killed by entanglement in fishing gear, primarily ] float lines. | |||
| While humans are allowed to swim with manatees in one area of Florida,<ref></ref> there have been numerous charges of people harassing and disturbing the manatees.<ref></ref> | |||
| The African manatee's only significant threats are due to poaching, habitat loss, and other environmental impacts.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}} They occasionally get stranded as the river dries up at the end of rainy season and are cooked for a meal. | |||
| ===Conservation=== | |||
| All three species of manatee are listed by the ] as vulnerable to extinction. | |||
| It is illegal under federal and Florida law to injure or harm a manatee. They are classified as "endangered" by both the state and the federal governments. | |||
| The ] and ], ships used by ] to tow ] ]s back to ], are propelled only by water jets to protect the endangered manatee population that inhabits regions of the ] where the ships are based. | |||
| Brazil outlawed hunting in 1973 in an effort to preserve the species. Deaths by boat strikes are still common. | |||
| ===Hunting=== | |||
| ] | |||
| Manatees were traditionally hunted by indigenous Caribbean people. When ] arrived in the region, hunting was already an established trade, although this is less common today.<ref></ref> | |||
| The primary hunting method was for the hunter to approach in a dugout canoe, offering bait to attract it close enough to temporarily stun it with a blow near the head from an oar-like pole. Many times the creature would flip over, leaving it vulnerable to further attacks. | |||
| From manatee hides, ] made ], ]s, and ]s, though manatees were predominantly hunted for their abundant meat. | |||
| Later, manatees were hunted for their bones, which were used to make "special potions". Until the 1800s, museums paid as much as $100 for bones or hides. Though hunting was banned in 1893, poaching continues today. | |||
| ===Captivity=== | |||
| ] | |||
| The oldest manatee in captivity is ], at the ]. He was born at the ] on {{birth date |1948|7|21}} and came to the ] in ] in 1949. | |||
| Manatees can also be viewed in a number of European zoos, such as the ] in ], the ], in ] in France and in the ] in Italy. | |||
| They are also included in the plans for a new ] in ], which is due to open in 2012<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/7510712.stm |title= Zoo submits £70m park proposals|date=2008-07-17 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |accessdate=2011-10-30}}</ref> with the manatees as an addition in 2015. | |||
| ===Culture=== | |||
| The manatee has been linked to folklore on ]s. ] ground the bones to treat ] and earache. In ]n folklore, they were sacred and thought to have been once human. Killing one was ] and required penance.<ref name = "Cooper92">{{cite book |last=Cooper |first=JC |title=Symbolic and Mythological Animals |pages=157 |year=1992 |publisher= Aquarian Press |location=London |isbn=1-85538-118-4}}</ref> | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| {{reflist|colwidth=30em}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{Commons category|Trichechidae}} | |||
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Revision as of 02:15, 24 November 2011
MannatEess Aree Crazy NAimallss Tht Are Pink Nd Weird