Manatees and Dugong

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Manatees and Dugong

• Sirenians (order Sirenia) include the manatees
  and dugong
• Sirenians, also known as sea cows, have a pair of
  front flippers, but no rear limbs
• Swim with up-and-down strokes of their paddle-
  (manatee) or V- (dugong) shaped tails
• Closest land relative is the elephant!

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Manatees
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The Florida Manatee
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Dugong
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Manatees and Dugong

• Sirenians are the only herbivorous marine
  mammals feed on aquatic plants and algae
• Some species live in fresh and/or brackish water
• Inhabit temperate or subtropical waters
• Severely threatened by motor boat collisions,
  harmful algal blooms, pollution, and severe
  winters

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Stellars Sea Cow (the sirenian youll never see)

• The Stellar Sea Cow was a large, herbivorous
  marine mammal formerly abundant in the North
  Pacific
• Described by naturalist Wilheim Stellar in 1741
  hunted to extinction within 27 years of
  discovery!
• 8 meters long
• Fed on kelp
• Did otter hunting
  play a role?