West Indian manatee
Trichechus manatus
The West Indian manatee is a manatee, and the largest surviving member of the aquatic mammal order Sirenia .
The West Indian manatee is a species distinct from the Amazonian manatee , and the African manatee . Based on genetic and morphological studies, the West Indian manatee is divided into two subspecies, the Florida manatee and the Antillean or Caribbean manatee . However, recent genetic research suggests that the West Indian manatee actually falls out into three groups, which are more or less geographically distributed as: Florida and the Greater Antilles; central and northern South America; and northeastern South America.
The West Indian manatee is a species distinct from the Amazonian manatee , and the African manatee . Based on genetic and morphological studies, the West Indian manatee is divided into two subspecies, the Florida manatee and the Antillean or Caribbean manatee . However, recent genetic research suggests that the West Indian manatee actually falls out into three groups, which are more or less geographically distributed as: Florida and the Greater Antilles; central and northern South America; and northeastern South America.