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Fishin' for Facts: Manatee

©WhaleTimes

West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus)
Amazon Manatee (Trichechus inunguis)
West African Manatee (Trichechus senegalensis)

Manatees are herbivores (plant eaters). They eat a variety of plants.

Although there is little evidence that any manatee has much of a predator problem, the West Indian manatees may be eaten by large predators like large sharks, alligators, crocodiles, and killer whales. The Amazon manatees may be hunted by jaguars and caimans. Although nothing is known about the predation of West African manatees, crocodiles and sharks are found in the area.

There are three different species of manatee. The West Indian, West African, and Amazonian. The West Indian Manatee is found in the United States in the state of Florida. It can also be found as far north as Virginia and as far west a Mississippi. The Antillean manatee (a subspecies of the West Indian) is found throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, and south Texas. It is also found from northeast South America all the way down to central and south America. The Amazon is found in freshwater riverways in the Amazon basin in Brazil.

Manatees are pregnant for about 12 to 14 months. Calves are born in the water. Like other mammals, a calf nurses from its mother. Although a calf may begin snacking on plants when it is only a few weeks old, it is not weaned until the end of its first year. A calf may stay with its mother for one to two years. (Although it is probably independent by the first year.)