SPECIES
West Indian manatee
Trichechus manatus
A slow-moving river and coastal grazer whose rounded outline belies a long aquatic life.
Manatees surface frequently and use flexible lips to gather aquatic vegetation.
Their plant-rich diet links freshwater, estuarine and coastal seagrass habitats.
Warm waters and rivers of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and western tropical Atlantic.
Where does a west Indian manatee live?
Warm waters and rivers of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico…
Worth knowing
- Adaptation Manatees surface frequently and use flexible lips to gather aquatic vegetation.
- Ecological role Their plant-rich diet links freshwater, estuarine and coastal seagrass habitats.
- Home Warm waters and rivers of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and western tropical Atlantic.
How it survives
Manatees surface frequently and use flexible lips to gather aquatic vegetation.
A slow-moving river and coastal grazer whose rounded outline belies a long aquatic life.
Why relationships matter
Their plant-rich diet links freshwater, estuarine and coastal seagrass habitats.
Where it lives
Warm waters and rivers of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and western tropical Atlantic.
Pressures and responses
Boat collisions, cold stress, water-quality changes and habitat loss.
Slow vessel traffic and protect warm-water refuges and vegetation.
Sources
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology — Animal Diversity Web, Trichechus manatus
- GBIF — Trichechus manatus accepted taxon
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — Manatee habitat
- US Fish & Wildlife Service — Manatee Trichechus manatus
Records of where it has been seen come live from GBIF; observed interactions from GloBI. Draft — not yet reviewed by a person.