Manatee

MANATEE Extinct Animal/Future Animal Modern Animal Manatee is sometimes known as Sea Cow. The relatives of manatees are elephants and Hyrax. There are different types of Manatees such as the- Amazon Manatee, West Indian Manatee, African Manatee, Florida Manatee...; The most common type of manatees are the amazon manatee, west indian manatee and african manatee which their latin names are Trichechus inunguis, trichechus manatus and trichechus senegalensis respectively.  media type="youtube" key="YwNi8dzj0S8" height="262" width="361" align="center"

ü Habitat is the natural home or environment for an animal. ü Manatees are mainly found in tropical warm water areas. ü Shallow water Manatees live in rivers [e.g. Niger River or around Lake Chad], bays, canals and some coastal areas [e.g. Coasts of the Atlantic Ocean] rich in sea grass and other vegetation. Manatees can be able to live in both fresh and salt waters. //West Indian Manatees: //live in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. During November to March, West Indian Manatees will move/ migrates in the rivers in Florida. Mostly found in waterway over 1 meter deep. They prefer water with the temperature above 21 degree Celsius. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Amazonian Manatee: //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">live in Amazon Basin [South America], able to live from 25 degree Celsius to 30 degree Celsius. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Florida Manatee: //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">can be able to swim freely under high salinity water. They are found coastal areas along Florida to Rhode Island [Northern areas]. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Antillean Manatees: //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">found in the Caribbean, Mexico and Northeastern South America //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">West African Manatees: //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">found in Senegal to Angola, along the West coast of Africa. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Amazonian Manatee: //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">only species of manatee which must live in fresh water. Mostly found in Brazil. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Structural Adaption One // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Manatees’ flippers are known as pectoral flippers. They are used to grab things [e.g. food] and to help them to direct in the water. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The bone structure of the flippers is very similar to the human arms and hands [referring to Figure 3 bone structure of manatee’s flippers and Figure 4 Fingernails] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The fingernails help manatee to grab things.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Fingernails that manatees have are very similar to Elephant. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The flippers help direct in water. It helps changing direction under water while swimming. The flippers with the fingernails could help the manatee collect plants or vegetation and put them into their mouths. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Structural Adaption Two // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Manatees are mammals which are like human, this mean they cannot breathe underwater like fish, they will have to hold their breath. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">They need to breathe air, to breathe air they have two nostrils. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The two nostrils that have are muscular flaps which can keep close when they aren’t breathing, this can make sure the water will not enter their lungs. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">They generally breathe once in every two to three minutes however they are able to stop breathing for twenty minutes while they are resting. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">When they need to breathe, the manatees will bring their nostrils above the water. They can be able to replace 90% of the air in the lungs with one breath. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left;">//Structural Adaption T ﻿hree // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Manatees have really small eyes, they do not have any eye lashes or eyelids but instead they have muscles around the eyes, the muscles are called sphincter muscle. Their eyes work by getting smaller and bigger, this helps them to see underwater. They are able to see clrealy in bright and dim light. They can swim in the water much safer. How does the eyes really work? -make a "okay" sign with your hand, tip of the forth finger touching the tip of the thumb, gradually slide the forth finger to the end of the thumb, sliding up and down, that is how it works on the manatee.Source from How does a Manatee…? (2008) Manatee retrieved June 26th 2011 from []
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//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Structural Adaption Four // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Manatees have flexible lips which are covered with thick whiskers. The whiskers with different sizes are known as vibrissae. Their upper lip is larger than the lower lips, this it to help them grabbing food like hands. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">//Behavior Adaption One// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Manatees are one of the most intelligent animals in the ocean; they aren’t a type of aggressive animal which they spend most of their time eating and resting. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Approximately six to eight hours eating and two to twelve hours for resting per day. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">According to [] manatee are described as semi- social. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">They are divided in group regarding to their sex, age and number.

<span style="font-family: 'Impact','sans-serif'; font-size: 27px; line-height: 115%;">Bibliography:

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">- <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Tree of Life Web Project (2004) Sirenia retrieved. June 26th 2011 from []

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">- <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">At the beginning (2005) Origin of Sirenians retrieved. June 26th 2011 from []

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">- <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">YouTube (2010) Manatee Evolution retrieved June 26th 2011 from []

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">- <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">National Geographic (2011) Manatee retrieved June 26th 2011 from []

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';">- <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">How does a Manatee…? (2008) Manatee retrieved June 26th 2011 from []