The earliest known fossils of the genus Trichechus are from Pleistocene deposits in the eastern United States and Argentina.
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
Trichechus inunguis is listed as Cites-Appendix I, as U.S. E.S.A.-Endangered, and as IUCN-Vulnerable. They have been hunted by Amazonian Indians with nets and harpoons for centuries. In the 1930s and 1940s they were killed by the thousands for their hides, which were used to make water hoses and machine belts.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: vulnerable
None
Manatees are a source of food for many native peoples.
Trichechus inunguis feeds upon aquatic vegetation such as grasses, water lettuce (Pisitia), and water hyacinths. It is also known to eat floating palm fruits. Captives are capable of eating 9 to 15 kilograms of leafy vegetables per day.
Amazon Basin of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, and Peru.
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
Amaxonian manatees inhabit the dense vegetation in blackwater lakes, oxbows, and lagoons.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; freshwater
Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams; coastal
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 12.5 years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 30.0 years.
The Amazon ox manatee is gray and bears a white patch on its chest or several white markings on its chest and abdomen. Its body is covered with fine hairs and its upper and lower lips are covered with thick bristles. It has two axillary mammae. The largest manatee recorded was a male 2.8m in length.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Average mass: 480000 g.
Average basal metabolic rate: 55.015 W.
These manatees breed throughout the year and gestate for approximately one year. Usually one young is born. An individual thought to be a newborn measured 739mm in length. The mothern and calf have a long-lasting bond. The mother may carry the young on her back or clasped to her side. The lifespan of this animal is unknown, but individuals have lived past twelve and a half years in captivity.
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
Average birth mass: 12500 g.
Average gestation period: 328 days.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Sex: male: 1096 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 1096 days.
