The Amazonian manatee occurs exclusively in fresh water. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists all three species, together with the subspecies, as Vulnerable. Individuals in captivity are able to eat 9 to 15 kilograms per day of leafy vegetables. Amazonian manatees have marching teeth: A unique feature amongst all mammals is that manatees … It is both nocturnal and diurnal and lives its life almost entirely underwater. The species is slow-moving and docile, and is often found feeding at the surface of the lakes and rivers it inhabits. To help them consume less in captivity than they do in the wild they are given elephant vitamins. Amazonian Manatee Habitat. According to the IUCN Red List, the total West Indian manatees’ population is currently estimated to a number less than 10,000 individuals, including the Florida manatee subspecies with population of less than 2,500 mature individuals as well as the Antillean manatee subspecies with current population of less than 2,500 mature individuals.
The preferred daily diet of this species is the leaves of the low overhanging trees of the extensive mangrove forests abounding the mouth-waters of the massive Niger river and Congo river deltas. It will also eat floating palm fruits. Life Expectancy. Manatees feed off the bottom, in the water column, and at the surface. The Amazonian manatee (T. inunguis) inhabits the Amazon River and associated drainage areas, including seasonally inundated forests. Between 1994 and 2008, 230 fecal and 16 stomach content samples from wild Amazonian … Manatees have developed broad, …
The large size of manatees provides them good protection against predators. The Amazonian manatee has the smallest degree of rostral deflection (25° to 41°) among sirenians, an adaptation to feed closer to the water surface. Manatees are believed to have evolved from a wading, plant-eating animal. Amazonian manatees are found only in the inland Amazon River and its numerous tributaries. In the low water period, when food was more scarce, the animals showed a larger diversity of species in their diet (21 species of plants). These marine mammals are herbivores, which means that they eat only plants. There are two subspecies of West Indian manatees: the Antillean manatee (Trichechus … The Amazonian manatee is the only manatee to occur exclusively in freshwater environments. 3. The manatee’s closest relatives are the elephant and the hyrax (a small, gopher-sized mammal). An individual manatee may travel 30 – 40 kilometres per day (19 – 25 miles per day) through lagoons and rivers. The West Indian manatee is the only species that lives in the U.S. The breeding period of the West African Manatee is uncertain and may last throughout the year, as is the case with the Amazonian and American manatees. Diet of the Manatee. The typical manatee diet consists of a wide variety of marine and freshwater vascular plants and algae as well as terrestrial vegetation that may be accessible on shorelines, overhanging and touching the water or floating such as red mangrove propagules. Names: The Amazonian manatee is also referred to as a sea cow, South American manatee, and peixe-boi (in Brazil). Names: The Amazonian manatee is also referred to as a sea cow, South American manatee, and peixe-boi (in Brazil). Amazonian Manatee Diet. In actuality, it is a subspecies of the West Indian manatee—the Florida manatee—that lives in the U.S. For such a large mammal, they are capable of high bursts of speed, swimming up to 15 mph. The West Indian manatee is related to the West African manatee, the Amazonian manatee, the dugong, and Steller’s sea cow, which was hunted to extinction in 1768. Amazonian manatees have marching teeth: A unique feature amongst all mammals is that manatees have … 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. Diet. The Amazonian manatee is a species of manatee that lives in the Amazon Basin in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia and Venezuela.It has thin, wrinkled brownish or gray colored skin, with fine hairs scattered over its body and a white chest patch, it is the smallest of the three extant species of manatee. May 30, 2017. There are three species of manatees: the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), West African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) and Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis). For the West African manatee, the threats are similar to its Amazonian cousin in the sense that its meat fetches a considerable price in the markets.
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