π¦West Indian manatee
The West Indian manatee, also known as the North American manatee, is a large, aquatic mammal native to warm coastal areas of the Caribbean, from the Eastern United States to northern Brazil. Living alone or in herds, it feeds on underwater plants and uses its whiskers to navigate. It is divided into two subspecies, the Florida manatee in the United States and the Antillean manatee in the Caribbean, both of which are endangered and face pressure from habitat loss, pollution, and other human activity. The West Indian manatee is the largest living member of the sirenians, a group of large aquatic mammals that includes the dugong, other manatees, and the extinct Steller's sea cow.
Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
IUCN Red List assessment, 2024.
- Body mass
- 388 kg
- Body length
- 4 m
- Shoulder height
- not recorded
- Top speed
- not recorded
- Bite force
- not recorded
- Maximum lifespan
- 56 years
Everything we know about the West Indian manatee
Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.
Body mass388 kgrecord 1,590 kg Β· SeaLifeBaseCOMBINEOther figures βHide β
Record: largest individual on record
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Figures vary
- 322 kgAnAgeAnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR)data quality: acceptable
Body length4 mCOMBINEOther figures βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Figures vary
- 3.9 mSeaLifeBasev25.04
Brain mass362 gCOMBINEDetails βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Maximum lifespan56 yearsCOMBINEOther figures βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Figures vary
- 69 yearsAnAgeAnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR)data quality: acceptable
Generation length20 yearsCOMBINEDetails βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Age at maturity5.2 yearsCOMBINEDetails βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Gestation335 daysCOMBINEOther figures βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Figures vary
- 335 daysAnAgeAnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR)data quality: acceptable
Litter size1COMBINEOther figures βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Figures vary
- 1AnAgeAnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR)data quality: acceptable
Trophic levelOmnivoreCOMBINEDetails βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Activity cycleCrepuscular / mixedCOMBINEDetails βHide β
Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0
Volume l388 LaverageDetails βHide β
Body mass at ~1.0 kg/L, the density of vertebrate tissue.
average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.
Not recorded for West Indian manatee yet: shoulder height, top speed, bite force.
Family tree
- kingdomAnimalia
- βΊphylumChordata
- βΊclassMammalia
- βΊorderSirenia
- βΊfamilyTrichechidae
- βΊgenusTrichechus
- βΊspeciesTrichechus manatus
- classMammals Β· Mammalia
- orderSirenia
- familyTrichechidae
- genusTrichechus
All 12 branches βFewer branches β
- kingdomMetazoa
- phylumChordata
- subphylumCraniata
- subphylumVertebrata
- superclassGnathostomata
- superclassSarcopterygii
- superclassTetrapoda
- classMammals Β· Mammalia
- subclassTheria
- orderSirenia
- familyTrichechidae
- genusTrichechus
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