West Indian manatee Trichechus manatus Vulnerable
Where the West Indian manatee lives – recorded in 4 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.
Pin and shaded countries are approximate. The pin is a representative wild sighting (a central record among 123,675 open-licence GBIF records), not an official range. Method · Records on GBIF · See manatees & dugong on the world map
| Scientific name | Trichechus manatus |
|---|---|
| Group | Manatees & dugong |
| Status | Vulnerable (Wikidata, IUCN category label) |
| Found in | 4 countries |
| Continents | North America, South America |
| Class | Mammal |
| Order | Sirenia |
| Family | Trichechidae |
Where does the West Indian manatee live?
Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the West Indian manatee in 4 countries and territories across North America and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Salvaterra.
Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.
Is the West Indian manatee endangered?
The West Indian manatee’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Vulnerable” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.
What kind of animal is the West Indian manatee?
The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) is a mammal in the order Sirenia and the family Trichechidae, genus Trichechus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)
About the West Indian manatee
The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), also known as the North American manatee, is a large, aquatic mammal native to warm coastal areas of the Caribbean, from the Eastern United States to northern Brazil. Living alone or in herds, it feeds on underwater plants and uses its whiskers to navigate. It is divided into two subspecies, the Florida manatee (T. m. latirostris) in the United States and the Antillean manatee (T. m. manatus) in the Caribbean, of which the Florida manatee is classified as threatened and the Antillean manatee is classified as endangered; both face pressure from habitat loss, pollution, and other human activity. The West Indian manatee is the largest living member of the sirenians (order Sirenia), a group of large aquatic mammals that includes the dugong, other manatees, and the extinct Steller's sea cow.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article West Indian manatee (revision 1380998131), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q40261 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).
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