Manatee :: essays research papers

ManateeThe manatee popularly called the sea cow is any of the species of largewater system animals in the genus Trichechus. There are three species of manatee with T.inunguis establish in the Amazon and Orinoco river systems T. manatus is found incentral Florida and along the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean coasts and T.senegalenis found in the rivers of tropical West Africa. A manatee is a faintmoving, seal shaped mammal that lives in shallow coastal waters where rich plantgrows. It commonly is at home in salt or fresh water but rarely straying farfrom home.A manatee is grayish-black stout thick skinned animals and almosthairless. Its corpulent body tapers to a horizontally flattened, round tail.The fore limbs are set close to its head and are used to push algae, such asseaweed and other water plants toward their mouths. They have a small head,with a straight snout and cleft upper lip with bristly hairs. Adults can growup to 15ft (4.6 meters) but they usually only grow to about 10 feet. They weighan average of 1300 pounds.Manatees live in small family groups sometimes up to herds of 15-20.After a gestation of up to 6 months, usually a single pinkish calf is born.Manatees ferquently communicate by muzzle to muzzle contact and when alarmedthey emit chripy squeaks.The number of manatees has been bring down over the past several years dueto heavy hunting for their hides, meat, and blubber oil. Some governments,including the United States, have placed the manatees under the endangeredspecies list. one practical reason for this is that they have proved useful inclearin girrigation and transport channels clogged with aquatic plant life.