For example, there are Florida manatees that happily alternate their time between the salty sea and the rivers going further inland. There are about 10,000 manatees along the coast of West Africa, AFP reports, but their numbers are in steep decline. - Definition, Habitat & Population, Biological and Biomedical Amazonian manatees do not enter salt water, instead preferring to live in fresh environments. They do have a very wide range and it varies based on the time of year. Due to severe overhunting, however, groups seen today number only 4 to 8 individuals. can live as long as 50 to 60 years. Manatees are born underwater. Manatees actually have enough unique evolutionary adaptations to be classified in their own order, sirenia. Where do Manatee Live? The West Indian manatee lives in the Gulf of Mexico surrounding Florida, but may migrate further north during warm weather, and south to Brazil and the Caribbean in cold weather. They are known to live only in freshwater areas. Manatees are certainly helping to control the problem, as they eat on average about 32 pounds of plant material per day, spending up to eight hours grazing. African Manatee An African manatee. Amazonian Manatee Characteristics The Amazonian manatees colour is brownish grey and they have […] As marine mammals, manatees need a temperate environment to survive through the winter. Find Out Where You Can Observe Manatees in the Wild. During the dry season, some of the rivers where the manatee live can start to dry up and not have enough water for them. To learn more, visit our Earning Credit Page. * On average, if a female manatee becomes sexually mature at 5 years old, has a calf every 3 years and never has twins, and lives to be 30 years old, she will have 8 to 9 calves in her lifetime. Students and teachers are allowed to use this information for school projects and homework. African manatees are classed as a vulnerable species and are on the IUCN Red List. While also being larger than its two counterparts, the Amazonian and African manatees, the West Indian manatee has rougher skin and nails on its paws. The Amaz… Over time, the distribution area for the manatee has started to dwindle. Manatees live in coastal waters, estuaries and rivers—which happens to be where there is a lot of boat traffic. May 24, 2017 May 30, 2017 admintag They live in shallow water, feeding on a wide variety of plant foods. All rights reserved. However, the manatees that live in West Africa and in Central America sometimes supplement their veggie meals with clams and with fish they find in nets. In fact, there are concerns from conservation groups that the manatee is too dependent on them. During this fasting period, they rely on their stored fat reserves until food becomes available again. and career path that can help you find the school that's right for you. The African Manatee can be up to 14 feet long. They live in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, Amazon Basin and West Africa. Although manatees do not have any natural predators , they are constantly under threat in their natural habitat. With a round body, flippers in place of hooves, and a strong tail they easily swim through the water at speeds up to 15 miles per hour. As the name suggests, they live along the west coast of Africa, they have a huge range from Senegal down to Angola, and they can also move hundreds of mile inland along rivers.Someone who knows more than anyone else about these mysterious marine mammals is researcher and conservationist, Lucy Keith Diagne. African (T. senegalensis) manatees spend their lives on the cusp between salty and fresh water. 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). They have been located in the far North region of Cape Cod during the late summer months. Visit the Kingdom Animalia: Study Guide & Review page to learn more. West African Manatee ... Manatees do live in the rainforest, as there are bodies of water in the rainforest. The African manatee was officially declared a species under the Trichechus senegalensis taxon in 1795 by naturalist Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link. Three species of manatee exist: West Indian, Amazonian, and West African. Manatee Factsheet. Since manatees can take care of their fresh water needs, people do not need to provide them with water from hoses. However, during the dry season they may retreat towards the coast or connecting lakes. Finally, West African manatees will inhabit both fresh and salt water. African Manatees are found in coastal marine and estuarine habitats and in fresh water river systems along the west coast of Africa from the Senegal River south to the Kwanza River in Angola, including areas in Gambia, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, and Democratic Republic of the Congo. The African manatee lives along the west coast of Africa, dwelling in flooded, mangrove forests. Parenting and Diet. Today's lesson won't be about dairy cows, but rather so called 'sea cows', or manatees. The Amazonian Manatee (Trichechus inunguis) is a species of manatee that lives in the freshwater habitats of the Amazon River and its tributaries. Create an account to start this course today. A female manatee is called a cow, while a male manatee is called a bull. If we continue traveling south from the West Indian manatee's range inland into South America, another manatee species will appear on the radar, the Amazon manatee. The manatees that live around the Florida area are able to move into various areas based on their needs and water temperature. Alternative Teacher Certification in Alabama, Aerospace Engineering Scholarships for High School, Tech and Engineering - Questions & Answers, Health and Medicine - Questions & Answers, Working Scholars® Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. Although not much is known about this species, it is believed that it resembles the West Indian manatee. Amazonian manatees are found only in the inland Amazon River and its numerous tributaries. Manatees are believed to have evolved from a wading, plant-eating animal known as the Pezosiren. These marine mammals are herbivores, which means that they eat only plants. The shallow waters and marshy coastal regions are the most common places where you will find the manatee living. They also feed on seagrasses that grow in sunny, shallow waters, meaning they spend a lot of time close to the surface, putting them more at risk for boat strikes. The West Indian manatees spend their days grazing on sea grass, much like the cows we see on land. Manatees have a horizontally flattened tail fluke and a pair of front flippers like whales do. Log in here for access. Knowing how long manatees live gives us an added insight into … Do manatees have any relatives? The Amazonian manatee species inhabit the Amazon River and the African manatee swims along the west coast and rivers of Africa. These are usually very close to the shore. These herbivores chew food almost half a day, and the necessary minimum of food for their full life is up to 10% of their body weight. During the wet season when food is plentiful and the forest floor is flooded, they can be found along smaller tributaries. During the winter, even the Florida coastline can be too chilly, and they migrate south to the Caribbean and northern coastline of Brazil to stay above 68 degrees Celsius. In some locations, the high volume of boating activity has created too much stress for the manatees. The body of African manatee is widest in the middle while the tail resembles a paddle. Today, we're going to look at the details of each of these habitats. Manatee Habitat. Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. As herbivores, they can eat about ten percent of their body weight every day, and are chomping a good portion of the day. These programs do show that they do well in captivity. The warm, calm waters aren't just for humans however. The West African manatee is found in coastal areas and rivers of western Africa. It is believed that the Amazonian Manatees are … West African manatees live in quiet coastal areas, large rivers, lagoons, and connected lakes, where the water temperature is above 18°C (64°F). Both the West Indian and the West African manatees can live in water with various degrees of salinity, from fresh, to brackish, to ocean. Manatees live in shallow coastal waters and rivers, feeding on sea grass and algae. {{courseNav.course.topics.length}} chapters | They are also found living around the Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia. The Amazonian manatee come from the ‘Sirenia’ order and are also known as ‘seacows’. During mating, cows are followed around by a dozen or more bulls. You can test out of the Where do manatees live ? They are also found in the Caribbean. Florida manatees rarely venture into deep ocean waters. do they live in caves? Therefore, they must hold their breath while diving, and need to surface for air periodically. They only live in freshwater and they prefer oxbows, blackwater lakes, and lagoons which have deep connections to big rivers and plenty of aquatic vegetation. Named for their grazing habits, the manatee are also about the same size as a dairy cow, weighing about 1,300 pounds and growing up to 13 feet in length. Services. They tend to live in bodies of water that are warm, at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Amazonian manatees are aquatic animals. Their calves weigh around 66 pounds and are 4 feet long. Approximately 400 of them are found annually in the Citrus County river area of Florida. Amanda holds a Masters in Science from Tufts Medical School in Cellular and Molecular Physiology. 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. The oldest manatee we’ve aged so far was 39 years old. Manatees are contained within the order Sirenia. Like Amazon manatees, they have a larger habitat during the wet season, when the forest floor and smaller streams become flooded. Humans have been changing the landscape of the Florida coast by outputting warm water from power plants. ERRORS in the site, please contact us. It isn’t a good idea to touch them though due to the fact that they are very vulnerable to a variety of diseases that they can easily spread throughout the habitat to other manatees. Sea World in both California and Florida offer a safe haven for some manatee that have been injured or can’t survive in the wild for one reason or another. The Amazon River manatee lives only in the freshwater tributaries of the Amazon River. The shallow waters and marshy coastal regions are the most common places where you will find the manatee living. In fact, this is illegal. The West African species is found in, you guessed it, western Africa! In the summer, when ocean waters are warmer, they can even travel as far north up the Atlantic Coast as Rhode Island. How Do I Use Study.com's Assign Lesson Feature? Female manatees tend to be larger than the males. The West Indian manatee prefers shallow water, not deep oceans like other large marine mammals. Helen: The least well known of the sirenia is the West African Manatee. credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level. They have a lower metabolism than other species so they can’t stay in colder water. They are known to be living in small rivers, the Amazon Basin, West Africa, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Despite weighing 1,000 pounds or more, manatees do … The West Indian manatee ranges along the North American east coast from Florida to Brazil. Manatees can hold their breath for up to 15 minutes, but with the energetic demands of swimming, especially so quickly, they must come up for air every three or four minutes. Where Do Manatees Live? Manatees do not seem to mind and the algae may help block out harmful rays from the sun. Now for a little bit of math! They live in groups of 4 to 8 individuals and are also found alone. The name of each species of sea cow indicates its natural range. When you consider other species of the manatee that weigh as much as 1,200 pounds then that is a significant difference. How long do manatees live? 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They are known to be living in small rivers, the Amazon Basin, West Africa, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Distinctly scarred individuals have been known to live for at least 39 years. For more information on manatee tours and how to swim with manatees, visit “Captain Mike’s Swimming with the Manatees” site. The Amazonian manatee come from the ‘Sirenia’ order and are also known as ‘seacows’. As a result, there are often humans that want to be in contact with them. What Kind of Manatees Live in Florida? With a labyrinth of thick, aerial roots, these trees are specifically adapted to the brackish water from freshwater streams mixing with coastal tides. Artificially warmed areas such as those from the power plants of Florida also offer a haven for them in the winter time. Save thousands off your degree isolated inland areas, genetic evidence suggests no significant differences between salty! This fasting period, they are going to look at the details of each of. 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