U.S. Virgin Islands Territorial Mammal
West Indian Manatee (common name) Trichechus manatus (scientific name) Overview After the whale, the West Indian manatee is the largest aquatic mammal. It is a slow-moving and gentle herbivorous animal believed to have evolved from land mammals like the elephant and hyrax. Its two subspecies, the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) and the Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus), have slightly different heads and ranges. It was declared the state marine mammal of Florida in 1975 and is Puerto Rico’s unofficial marine mammal. Hunted for hundreds of years for its meat and hide, manatees in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Florida, and Puerto Rico are protected throughout their ranges by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, although they continue to be hunted in Central and South America. Close-up STATUS Unofficial ALSO KNOWN AS Commonly known as the sea cow, it is also called the Caribbean manatee or Antillean manatee, depending on its range. PHYSICAL DETAILS Gray or brown in color, although sometimes covered with barnacles or patches of green or red algae. The muzzle is heavily whiskered and coarse, single hairs are sparsely distributed over the rest of its body. Manatees have flexible, split upper lips that pass food into the mouth. The lungs are positioned along their backbone to help with buoyancy control. Females are typically longer and heavier than males.    Males Females Size 13 ft (4 m) long 13 ft (4 m) long Weight 3,300 lbs (1,500 kg) 3,300 lbs (1,500 kg) LIFESPAN Over 60 years HABITAT Brackish, shallow rivers and estuaries and freshwater rivers connected to the coast. Range: The Florida manatee occurs primarily in Florida and southeastern Georgia but is known from as far north as Rhode Island to as far west as Texas. The Antillean manatee ranges from Mexico and the Caribbean to northeastern Brazil. The West Indian manatee is abundant along the southern coast and river mouths of Puerto Rico and in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Conservation: Endangered. However, in 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the West Indian manatee population of Florida had rebounded and should be reclassified as "threatened." BEHAVIOR The West Indian manatee is agile in water, where it rolls, somersaults, and even swims upside-down. It surfaces for air once every five minutes or so, but can remain submerged for up to 20 minutes while resting. It is generally considered solitary or semi-social except for mating herds or winter congregations in warm water refuges. The manatee often moves from place to place in search of food and usually swims at speeds of 1 to 4 mph but can swim at speeds of up to 15 mph (24 kph) for short distances. It squeaks and squeals when frightened, playing, or communicating. The manatee has a slow reproductive rate because females and males reach sexual maturity at about 5 and 9 years of age, respectively. Manatees have multiple sexual partners over their lifetimes, and mating females can be pursued by 20 or more males. Males do not render any parental care to their calves. DIET The West Indian manatee is an herbivore that feeds opportunistically. Common forage plants include cord grass, algae, turtle grass, shoal grass, manatee grass, and eel grass. Individuals consume up to 10 percent of their body weight per day. OFFSPRING Breeding interval: 2 to 3 years Birthing period: 13 months Average litter size: 1 calf (rarely twins) Size at birth: 40 to 60 lbs (30 kg), average 70 lbs (32 kg) TRIVIA The name manatee comes from the Taino word manati. A manatee is capable of exchanging 98 percent of its lung capacity in a single breath. The calf of a manatee usually remains dependent on its mother for one to two years. The molars of the manatee are continually replaced throughout its life. The town of Manati in Puerto Rico is named after the animal.
	Click to enlarge an image Manatees Feeding on Seagrass Manatee with Calf Manatee Swimming CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Sirenia Family: Trichechidae Subfamily: Capreolinae Genus: Trichechus Species: T. manatus
	Data Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Author: World Trade Press