They only live in freshwater and they prefer oxbows, blackwater lakes, and lagoons which have deep connections to big rivers and plenty of aquatic vegetation. Amazonian manatees are gregarious animals and used to occur in big herds. Due to severe overhunting, however, groups seen today number only 4 to 8 individuals. These manatees are both nocturnal and diurnal and they live their lives almost entirely underwater.
Only their nostrils stick up above the water as they search the bottoms of rivers and lakes for lush vegetation. An individual in one day can eat as much as eight percent of its body weight of aquatic vegetation. Feeding mostly takes place in the wet season, when these animals graze on new plants in backwaters that are flooded seasonally. When the manatees return during the dry season to the primary water courses, for weeks they may not eat. As herbivorous species, the Amazonian manatee eats aquatic vegetation like grasses, water hyacinths and water lettuce pisitia.
It will also eat floating palm fruits. Individuals in captivity are able to eat 9 to 15 kilograms per day of leafy vegetables. Mating herds form that consist of a male and a few females. The females have the freedom to leave their herd and so may mate with another male, meaning that Amazonian manatees may have a polyandrous mating system.
Breeding can take place throughout the year, with peaks occurring at different times in various parts of the system of rivers. In the central Amazon, births mostly occur in February-May, which is when water levels rise.
A single young is born after gestation of around one year. Births occur at year intervals. Young are very well looked after by their mothers, who will nurse them up to the age of 18 months. The size of each word indicates the extent of a species range that is affected by that threat larger size means a greater area is affected.
The colour of the word indicates how much that threat impacts the species darker shades of red mean the threat is more severe. Review terms and conditions page for details. Amazonian Manatee Trichechus inunguis. Overview Threats. About The Amazonian manatee is the smallest member of the manatee family and can be distinguished by its smoother rubbery skin and lack of vestigial nails on its flippers.
Key Facts. Common name Common names. Latin name scientific name Trichechus inunguis. Their elongated and flattened rear end, paddle-like fore-limbs and hippo-like snout combine to make this one of the most unusual species in the Amazon.
Amazon manatees are exclusively vegetarian herbivores , feeding on water lettuce and hyacinth. They feed mostly during the wet season, when there is plenty of new vegetation, storing the food in their fat reserves. When the dry season returns, manatees return to the main rivers, where they congregate. During this fasting period, they rely on their stored fat reserves until food becomes available again. They live in groups of 4 to 8 individuals and are also found alone.
Names: The Amazonian manatee is also referred to as a sea cow, South American manatee, and peixe-boi in Brazil. New teeth consistently enter at the back of the mouth, replacing old and worn-out teeth in the front. Recent evidence is suggesting that manatees have a 6th sense, enabling them to detect pressures changes through such sensory hairs!
Amazonian manatees also have great eyesight and hearing: Despite very small eyes, a surprising manatee fact is that they can see very well- they even have a membrane that can be drawn across their eyeballs for protection.
Their hearing is also great, even though they have no outer ear structures they have large inner ear bones. Amazonian manatees are shy eaters: Amazonian manatees are one of only four species total that are plant-eating marine animals 3 manatee species and the similar dugong.
Since they live almost entirely underwater, eating involves secretively raising just their nostrils above the surface as they search for vegetation near lake edges. But, they can go months without eating: A surprising fact considering their potential food intake, but manatees can go months without food!
The reason manatees feed so heavily during raining months is to store food for the dry season when there is a lack of accessible vegetation. Mothers and babies manatees have a very close bond: Mothers only give birth to one calf at a time, usually after carrying the baby for about 13 months! The babies remain dependent on the mother for quite some time, so mothers often wait as long as 3. Amazonian manatees are usually found in small groups: Once known to live in large herds, manatees now are found individually or in small groups of just four to eight.
Populations of manatees in the Amazon are expected to decline by as much as 30 percent over the next 20 years.
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