The West Indian Manatee

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the West Indian manatee, which is one of the world's largest aquatic mammals. It discuss its dwindling population due to heavy hunting in the 18th century and modern coastal development. The paper describes the feeding habits of the manatee and its biology.

Table of Contents:
Taxonomic Classification
Growth & Reproduction
Structure, Morphology and Physiology
Feeding Habits
Communication
Behavior
Ecology
Range & Status

From the Paper:

"The West Indian Manatee is the common name for large mammal indigenous to coastal regions in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico (Lefebvre, O'Shea, Rathbun, and Best (1989). Manatees are on average around 3.5 meters long at their full adult size (Lefebvre). Their average weight is an estimated 1869 kg, though they can grow up to 4 meters, and weigh as much as 5607 kg (Lefebvre). Looking at Table 1 (below), their taxonomy is laid out from Kingdom Animalia, to their species name manatus. Manatees typically can be expected to live about 60 years (Lefebvre). Manatees are aquatic mammals, who only eat plants (Guerra 2001)."

More papers on The West Indian Manatee:

• Book Review # 98800 : "The West Chamber"
• Analytical Essay # 41893 : "The American Indian Wilderness"
• Analytical Essay # 141278 : "The Journey to the West"

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