Nature Atlas

How Nature Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme

Switch Atlas

Specy

West Indian Manatee

Mammals

The West Indian manatee is a large, slow-moving aquatic mammal found in shallow coastal waters, rivers and estuaries of the southeastern United States, the Caribbean, and the coasts of Central and northern South America. It has a rounded, seal-like body, paddle-like forelimbs and a flat, rounded tail used for propulsion, and it feeds almost entirely on seagrasses and other aquatic vegetation, spending much of the day grazing in shallow water. Manatees have poor tolerance for cold water and often gather in winter near warm-water refuges such as natural springs or power plant outflows. Boat strikes, habitat loss and cold stress remain significant threats, and the species is classified as vulnerable.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Herbivore 2
System (Realm)
Freshwater 3
System (Realm)
Marine 3
Threats
Pollution 4
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
Derived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status (w-bfill-g5-0924 browse backfill).
Scientific Name
Trichechus manatus 1
Conservation Status
Vulnerable 1
Population Estimate
6782 1
Antillean subspecies only (US Fish and Wildlife Service, 2017 estimate); the source flags this figure as relying heavily on anecdote and possibly an overestimate, and the Florida subspecies is tracked separately.
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
The West Indian manatee is the largest living member of the sirenians (order Sirenia), a group of large aquatic mammals that includes the dugong, other manatees, and the extinct Steller's sea cow. 1
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Sirenia, Taxa
Source Catalogue of Life

In Biome

Marine, Biomes
Source West Indian Manatee (Wikipedia)

In Ecosystem

Everglades, Ecosystems
Source World Wildlife Fund
In the Other Atlases
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Bahamas, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Belize, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Brazil, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Colombia, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Costa Rica, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Dominica, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Guyana, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Haiti, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Honduras, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Jamaica, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Mexico, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: North America, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Panama, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: South America, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Suriname, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Trinidad and Tobago, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: United States, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Venezuela, found in there.
Sources
1. West Indian Manatee (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section, opening sentence naming the binomial
    The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), 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.
  • Conservation status section, 2023 IUCN reassessment sentence
    Late in 2023, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assessed the West Indian manatee and the Florida subspecies as vulnerable, and the Antillean subspecies as endangered.
  • Antillean manatee population paragraph, Conservation section
    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated in 2017 that as many as 6,782 individuals might exist in the Antillean subspecies, but these results rely in large part on personal anecdotes and may overestimate the true population number.
  • Description section, opening sentence
    The West Indian manatee is the largest living member of the sirenians (order Sirenia), a group of large aquatic mammals that includes the dugong, other manatees, and the extinct Steller's sea cow.
  • In Biome: Marine, Wikipedia 'West Indian manatee': native to warm coastal areas of the Caribbean
View the Source
2. EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014)
3. GBIF Species API
GBIF Species APIView the Source
4. Wikipedia: West Indian manatee
threat (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
Quote, threat (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
manatus) in the Caribbean, both of which are endangered and face pressure from habitat loss, pollution, and other human activity.
View the Source
Wikidata: West Indian Manatee
Wikidata Q40261, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Catalogue of Life
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeChild Taxon Of: SireniaView the Source
World Wildlife Fund
World Wildlife FundIn Ecosystem: EvergladesView the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.