Mammalia |
Sirenia |
Trichechidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Demersal; freshwater; brackish; depth range 0 - 13 m (Ref. 116169), usually 2 - 5 m (Ref. 81178). Tropical; 38°N - 21°S, 89°W - 35°W
Western Atlantic: Trichechus manatus manatus: from the coasts and rivers of Mexico to as far south to Rio Doce, Brazil including the Orinoco and Amazon; Trichechus manatus latirostris: from the Florida Peninsula to Rhode Island. Tropical to temperate.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 390 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 1394); max. published weight: 1.6 t (Ref. 1394)
Found in coastal marine, brackish and freshwater areas. Feeds on aquatic plants, (i.e. water hyacinths and marine seagrasses, algae, parts of mangrove trees, floating and shoreline vegetation); invertebrates (i.e. tunicates); and fish they remove from fishing nets (Ref. 1394). Found in coastal marine, brackish and freshwater areas (Ref. 1394), where primary habitat consists of rivers, coastal lagoons and bays and mangrove islands (Ref. 86755). Feeds on aquatic plants, (i.e. water hyacinths and marine seagrasses, algae, parts of mangrove trees, floating and shoreline vegetation); invertebrates (i.e. tunicates); and fish they remove from fishing nets (Ref. 1394).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Jefferson, T.A., S. Leatherwood and M.A. Webber 1993 FAO species Identification Guide: Marine Mammals of the World. Rome, FAO. 320 p. + 587 figures. (Ref. 1394)
IUCN Red List Status
(Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Threat to humans
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Fisheries: species profile | FishSource | Sea Around Us
Tools
More information
Population dynamicsGrowth
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Abundance
Life cycleReproduction
Maturity
Fecundity
Spawning
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
PhysiologyOxygen consumption
Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref.
115969): 22.9 - 28, mean 26.5 (based on 562 cells).
Fishing Vulnerability
Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).
Price category
Unknown.