111 Amazonian Manatee Facts About The Friendly Herbivore Sea Mammal

The Amazonian manatee is a species of manatee that can be found in the regions of Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.

Manatees are enormous aquatic mammals that are herbivorous in nature. They are fully aquatic animals found in South America in the Amazon Basin, in West Africa, and in the West Indies.

Manatees are sometimes called 'sea cows' owing to their giant size and herbivorous nature. The average body weight of an Amazonian manatee is around 924-990 lb (420-450 kg) and can measure up to 13 ft (3.9 m).

Known also by their biological name, Trichechus inunguis, these Amazonian manatees, or sea cows, are known for being the smallest members of the manatee family. The West African manatees are known by their biological name, Trichechus senegalensis, and the West Indian manatees’ biological name is Trichechus manatus.

These amazing animals are also known for being peaceful and non-aggressive in nature but have been categorized as an endangered species due to overhunting and habitat loss.

After reading some fascinating facts about the interesting manatee species, also check out are hammerhead sharks dangerous and baby pink dolphin.

Fun Facts About Amazonian Manatee

Manatees live in shallow waters, usually just reaching a depth of 3-10 ft (0.9-3.0 m), including canals, rivers, and saltwater bays.

Amazonian manatees are the only manatee species to live in freshwater bodies.

Manatees can only bear water temperatures in the range of 77-86 °F (25-30 °C).

They have rubbery smooth skin with flippers. They do not have nails and are gray in color, with the Amazonian manatees having a peculiar white or pink patch in the front portion.

They are large animals, cylindrical in shape. They do not have hind legs or limbs; they just have flippers and lack vestigial nails. Their rear bodies are shaped in a round, flat, and horizontally paddled form.

They are the largest herbivorous animals living in the ocean. All other animals whose natural habitats are oceans and other water bodies are carnivorous in nature.

Unlike what you may think, manatees, like other members of their species, have the kind of teeth that constantly change throughout their lives. Their teeth are replaced horizontally in a regular cycle throughout their lives. This is common in a lot of mammals and is known as polyphyodont teeth.

West Indian manatees and West African manatees, unlike Amazonian manatees, can live in both saltwater and freshwater bodies. Their internal regulatory system allows them to easily adjust between the different environments. They do, however, require warm water.

Manatees come up to the surface of the water every three to five minutes to breathe. Each time they do this, they replace about 90% of their lung air. To imagine how major this amount is, it would be helpful to know that humans are only capable of changing 10% of their lung air each time.

Manatees are known to survive for 30-50 years.

Female manatees have a gestation period of 12–13 months, and their babies are known as calves. They give birth to one calf at a time. Calves live with their mothers for two years. When a calf is born, the mother manatee takes the calf to the surface of the water to enable them to breathe.

Manatees have an amazing sense of smell.

Manatees communicate with each other by squeaking and chirping. These are also the sounds they use when scared or in fear of something.

Elephants are also related to manatees. They also belong to the same order known as Sirenia.

In fact, elephants are called the closest living relatives to the manatee. Proof of this has been found in fossils dating back millions of years, showcasing clearly that manatees have in fact evolved from the same land animals like elephants, some 50 million years ago.

Explorers and pirates are known to have confused manatees with mermaids. In fact, the famous explorer Christopher Colombus himself confused a manatee with a mermaid. It is thought of as a side effect of being at sea for too long or as the trickery of light.

Manatees have the smallest body-to-brain size ratio of all mammals on earth. Their brains are smooth and have similar folds to those of humans.

Manatees, however, unlike most mammals, only have six vertebrae. Some scientists believe this may be an effect of their metabolism. This trait is shared by only one other mammal, which is the tree sloth.

Manatees are considered to be nearsighted due to their inability to perceive blue-green combinations or red colors. However, they can see green, gray, and blue.

Worrying Facts About Amazonian Manatee

While manatees are adorable creatures whom people love to take pictures with when spotted, it is factors like this and many more that make manatees an increasingly vulnerable animal species.

One of the various worrying Amazonian manatee facts is that these animals are coming close to the verge of extinction for a variety of reasons.

Manatees are being hunted constantly for their skin, oil, and meat, which is the largest factor resulting in their near extinction and current vulnerability.

Factors like water pollution and deforestation also play a huge role in their vulnerability because while water pollution directly affects their environment, making it harmful for them to survive, deforestation results in soil erosion which indirectly results in an alteration of their natural habitat, resulting in pollution of their living conditions and thereby creating detrimental living conditions for the manatees.

Fishing techniques such as the use of nets are also a source of vulnerability for Amazonian manatees as they are always at risk of getting caught in the nets, causing death.

Despite looking intimidating, these animals are very sensitive to change, and the slightest bit of change in their living conditions can prove fatal.

Other factors contributing heavily to their endangerment are residential development, oil mining and drilling, aquaculture, climate change, human intervention, recreational activities, transportation, and agricultural practices.

As per the latest reports of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, Amazonian manatees of South America have been classified as Endangered animals, with only 3000-8000 mature mammals alive, and the number constantly decreasing.

However, fortunately, hunting manatees has now become illegal. This could be due to their decreasing numbers, but it is not completely that the hunting of manatees has stopped. While measures are being taken and imposed, there can still be some rare instances when humans disobey the law and hunt these fascinating animals.

Facts About Amazonian Manatee's Diet

An Amazonian manatee in South America is herbivorous in nature, as are other members of its species. As such, they do not feed on any fish, as one may think.

They feed on the natural vegetation present in the oceans and large rivers where they are usually found.

Typically, manatees are known to feed on hydrophytes or aquatic plants, and flowers, including popular flowers and plants like water lettuce, water lilies, and hyacinths.

A lot of these manatees are supposed to hibernate in deeper parts of water bodies during the months of July-August until March, which is known as the dry season. It is also the time when they possibly do not eat, but their metabolism and reserved fat allow them to survive well during this time.

Facts About Amazonian Manatee's Habitat

The Amazonian manatee’s habitat is completely aquatic. They are found in the Amazon Basin, starting from the headwaters in Colombia and Ecuador, all the way to the mouth of the Amazon River in Brazil. They can swim at up to 20 mph (32 kph).

They are completely based on freshwater habitats. However, their distribution is patchy and uneven, mostly concentrated around areas that have nutrient-rich vegetation.

Usually, they are found in shallow coastal areas of freshwater bodies.

They are also found in areas and regions that may be lower-lying but rich in aquatic plant vegetation.

Dugongs, which belong to the same order as manatees, known as Sirenia, are considered close to manatees in terms of appearance and habitat. These creatures are found largely in the coastal regions of the Indian Ocean and the western portions of the Pacific Ocean. Their habitat is never found in bodies of freshwater.

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