Amazonian Manatee
| Amazonian Manatee[1] | |
|---|---|
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| Baby Amazonian Manatee | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Sirenia |
| Family: | Trichechidae |
| Genus: | Trichechus |
| Species: | T. inunguis |
| Binomial name | |
| Trichechus inunguis (Natterer, 1883) |
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| Amazonian Manatee range | |
The Amazonian Manatee (Trichechus inunguis) is a species of manatee that lives in the freshwater habitats of the Amazon basin. They are found in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, and Venezuela. Amazonian manatees are aquatic animals of the Sirenia order and are also known as "seacows". Their colour is grey but sometimes appears to be a brownish grey. They have thick, wrinkled skin, are almost hairless but have "whiskers" around their mouths.[3] It lacks significant predation, other than being occasionally hunted by humans. The manatees, and the closely related Dugong, are unusual in being the only extant plant-eating marine mammals.
An almost unique feature (amongst mammals) of the manatee is the constant replacement of molar teeth; new teeth enter at the back of the jaw and replace old and worn teeth at the front. Their closest cousins, the elephants, also have teeth that get replaced, but have only a limited set of these replacement teeth.
Amazonian manatees are the smallest species of manatee besides the dwarf manatee. They may reach a length of 2.8 m (9.2 ft). Females are typically larger than males and can weigh 360 to 540 kg (800 to 1200 lbs). They also lack the nails found on the end of most flippers.
Recently, a closely related but far smaller species, the Dwarf Manatee (Trichechus "pygmaeus"), has been described from Brazil by Dr. Marc van Roosmalen. Called the peixe-boi anão in Brazilian Portuguese, it is about 130 cm (4.2 ft) long and lives in fast-flowing streams.[4] Its validity has later been questioned, with some believing it to be an immature Amazonian Manatee.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Shoshani, Jeheskel (16 November 2005). Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). pp. 93. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3.
- ^ Marmontel, M. (2008). Trichechus inunguis. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 29 December 2008.
- ^ conserve nature manatee site
- ^ van Roosmalen, M. G. M. A new species of living manatee from the Amazon.. Accessed on March 16, 2008.
- ^ Trials of a Primatologist. - smithsonianmag.com. Accessed March 16, 2008.
- Multiple new species of large, living mammals (part III) - Tetrapod zoology. Accessed March 16, 2008.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Trichechus inunguis |
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Wikispecies has information related to: Trichechus inunguis |
- ARKive - images and movies of the Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis)
- Amazonian Manatee article at sirenian.org
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