Manatee (family: Trichechidae, genus: Trichechus)
Manatees are large aquatic animals also known as Sea Cows.
Manatee Physical Characteristics
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Adult West Indian manatees and West African manatees average about 10 feet. (3 metres) in length.
Large individuals may reach lengths of up to 13 feet. (4 metres). Average adult weights are approximately 800 to 1200lb. (363 - 544kg).
Large individuals have been known to weigh up to 3500lb. (1588kg). Females are generally larger than males.
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Amazonian manatees are the smallest of the three species. Amazonian manatees are shorter and more slender. The longest recorded specimen measured 9.2 feet. (2.8 metres). One particularly large specimen weighed 105lb. (480kg).
The manatee's body is streamlined - full around the middle and narrowing to a paddle-shaped tail.
Manatees are a greyish-brown colour, however, Amazonian manatees usually have white or pink patches on the belly and chest. Organisms such as algae, which may grow on the skin of these slow-moving individuals, help determine their colouration.
Manatees have two small pectoral flippers on their upper body which are used for steering. These flexible flippers may also be used for bringing food to the manatee's mouth and for guiding movement along a waterway's bottom.
West Indian and West African manatees have three or four fingernails, similar to the toenails on an elephant's feet, at the tips of their flippers. Amazonian manatees do not have fingernails.
Manatee flippers have five digits that are covered by a thick layer of skin. This bone structure is similar to that of toothed whales, seals, and sea lions. Manatees have no externally discernible neck. Manatees do not have external ear flaps and the opening to the ear canal is very small. Manatees have two nostrils that lie on top of the head at the end of the snout.
Manatees have a large flexible upper lip. Their lips help guide vegetation into their mouth. Vibrissae (whiskers) are found on the surface of this lip. Each vibrissa is separately attached to the nerve endings and has its own blood supply in the follicle. Manatees have small eyes (about 0.8 inches or 2 centimetres in diameter) which are located on the sides of the head.
A manatee's only teeth are 24 to 32 molars located in the back of the mouth. The front molars in each row are continually being worn down by the abrasive plants that the manatee eats. As the teeth wear down, new molars grow in the back of the mouth and move forward. The replacement process continually provides new chewing surfaces as the teeth wear down, and continues throughout the manatee's life. In addition to molars, manatees have horny, ridged pads at the front of the upper and lower jaws.
A manatee swims by moving its large paddle like tail in an up-and-down motion. A manatee has sparse hair scattered over its torso.
