manatee

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West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus)

West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus)

Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)

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manatee

mammal

Also known as: Trichechus

Written by Thomas O'Shea

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Nov 22, 2024 • Article History

Related Topics:: Florida manatee; West African manatee; Amazonian manatee; Caribbean manatee; Antillean manatee

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manatee, (genus Trichechus), any of three species of large slow aquatic mammals found along tropical and subtropical Atlantic coasts and associated inland waters, including the watersheds of the Amazon and Niger rivers. Dull gray, blackish, or brown in colour, all three manatee species have stout tapered bodies ending in a flat rounded tail used for forward propulsion. The forelimbs are modified into flippers; there are no hind limbs. The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), which is also found seasonally in the waters of nearby states, is one subspecies of the West Indian manatee (T. manatus). The other subspecies lives in ...(100 of 1423 words)

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