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Chawin

Avatar: 146808 2012-12-30 22:05:41 -0500
12

[Deth Krew 2010]

Level 69 Hacker

Scared of death

Ecology

Range and habitat

Approximate distribution of Trichechus; T. manatus in green; T. inunguis in red; T. senegalenis in orange

Manatees inhabit the shallow, marshy coastal areas and rivers of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico (T. manatus, West Indian Manatee), the Amazon Basin (T. inunguis, Amazonian Manatee), and West Africa (T. senegalensis, West African Manatee). A fourth species, the Dwarf Manatee (T. “pygmaeus”Log in to see images! was recently proposed for a population found in the Brazilian Amazon,[7] although some believe it to be an immature Amazon Manatee.[8]

They enjoy warmer waters and are known to congregate in shallow waters, and frequently migrate through brackish water estuaries to freshwater springs. Manatees cannot survive below 15°C (288 K; 60°F). Their natural source for warmth during winter is warm-spring fed rivers.

A group of 3 manatees

West Indian

The coast of Georgia is usually the northernmost range of the West Indian Manatee because their low metabolic rate does not protect them in cold water. Prolonged exposure to water temperatures below 68 °F (20 °C) can bring about “cold stress syndrome” and death.[9]

Florida manatees can move freely between salinity extremes.

Manatees have been spotted as far north as Cape Cod, and as recently as the late summer of 2006, one made it up to New York City and Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay, as cited by The Boston Globe. According to Memphis, Tennessee’s The Commercial Appeal newspaper, one manatee was spotted in the Wolf River harbor near the Mississippi River in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, on October 23, 2006, though it was later found dead ten miles downriver in McKellar Lake.

The West Indian Manatee migrates into Florida rivers such as the Crystal River, the Homosbuma River, and the Chbumahowitzka River. The head springs of these rivers maintain a 22°C (299 K; 72°F) temperature year round. During November to March, approximately 400 West Indian Manatees (according to the National Wildlife Refuge) congregate in the rivers in Citrus County, Florida.

Manatees often congregate near power plants, which warm the waters. Some have become reliant on them and have ceased migrating to warmer waters. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is trying to find a new way to heat the water for manatees that are dependent on plants that have closed. The main water treatment plant in Guyana has four manatees that keep storage canals clear of weeds; there are also some in the ponds of The National Park in Georgetown, Guyana.

Studies suggest that Florida manatees must have some access to fresh water for proper osmoregulation.

Florida manatees (T. manatus) number between 1,000 and 3,000. Accurate population estimates of the Florida manatee are notoriously difficult and have been called scientifically weak[10]; with widely varying counts from year to year, some areas show increases and others decreases, with very little strong evidence of increases except in 2 areas. Manatee counts are highly variable without an accurate way to estimate numbers:in Florida in 1996, a winter survey found 2,639 manatees; in 1997 a January survey found 2,229; and a February survey found 1,706.[6]

Population viability studies carried out in 1997 found that decreasing adult survival and eventual extinction is a probable future outcome for Florida manatees, without additional protection.[11]

Fossil remains of Florida manatee ancestors date back about 45 million years.

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