Trichechus manatus   Linnaeus, 1758

West Indian manatee

Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Trichechus manatus  AquaMaps  Data sources: GBIF OBIS
Upload your photos 
 | All pictures | Google image |
Image of Trichechus manatus (West Indian manatee)
Trichechus manatus

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | CoL | ITIS | WoRMS

Mammalia | Sirenia | Trichechidae

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Demersal; freshwater; brackish; depth range 0 - 13 m (Ref. 116169), usually 2 - 5 m (Ref. 81178).  Tropical; 38°N - 21°S, 89°W - 35°W

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Western Atlantic: Trichechus manatus manatus: from the coasts and rivers of Mexico to as far south to Rio Doce, Brazil including the Orinoco and Amazon; Trichechus manatus latirostris: from the Florida Peninsula to Rhode Island. Tropical to temperate.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 390 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 1394); max. published weight: 1.6 t (Ref. 1394)

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found in coastal marine, brackish and freshwater areas. Feeds on aquatic plants, (i.e. water hyacinths and marine seagrasses, algae, parts of mangrove trees, floating and shoreline vegetation); invertebrates (i.e. tunicates); and fish they remove from fishing nets (Ref. 1394). Found in coastal marine, brackish and freshwater areas (Ref. 1394), where primary habitat consists of rivers, coastal lagoons and bays and mangrove islands (Ref. 86755). Feeds on aquatic plants, (i.e. water hyacinths and marine seagrasses, algae, parts of mangrove trees, floating and shoreline vegetation); invertebrates (i.e. tunicates); and fish they remove from fishing nets (Ref. 1394).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Jefferson, T.A., S. Leatherwood and M.A. Webber. 1993. (Ref. 1394)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Vulnerable (VU) (C1); Date assessed: 30 June 2008

CITES status (Ref. 108899)

Appendix I: International trade banned

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Appendix I & II: Endangered migratory species conserved through agreements

Threat to humans

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Fisheries: species profile | FishSource | Sea Around Us

Tools

E-book | Field guide

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Common names
Synonyms
Predators
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development
Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Morphology
Larvae
Abundance
References
Mass conversion
Collaborators
Pictures

Internet sources

BHL | BOLD Systems | CISTI | DiscoverLife | FAO(Fisheries: species profile; publication : search) | Fishipedia | GenBank (genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | Gomexsi | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | PubMed | Tree of Life | Wikipedia (Go, Search) | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 22.9 - 28, mean 26.5 (based on 562 cells).
Vulnerability (Ref. 71543): Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766): Unknown.