Manatee

The word "manatee" in the Caribbean Indian language, means "with breasts." Its scientific name Trichechus comes from the Latin word, which refers to the tiny hairs or bristles scattered over its body, and comes from the Greek word manatus μανάτος (manatus), which refers to the common characteristic of mammals nurse their young.
Features
The length of the body reaches between 3 and 4.5 to 6 m, and weight between 300 and 500 kg. The body is gray with pink interstices. Dugongs are distinguished by having a horizontally flattened tail spatulate, rather than crescent-shaped.
Feeding
Manatees are herbivores and feed on about 60 different types of plants such as mangrove leaves and algae. To do this use the upper lip, which is divided. An adult manatee can eat normally up to 9% of their weight (50 kg) per day. The West Indian manatees also eat fish from nets.
Reproduction
Every 2 to 5 years the female gives birth to a baby, which at birth on average weighs 35 kg and measures 90 to 120 cm long. The breeding depends entirely on your mother and stay with her at least 2 years. Only the female is responsible for raising caring, giving milk until well formed teeth to eat hard food. They are adults at age 4 years and can live to 80.
Species
 Trichechus manatus - West Indian manatee and Florida
 Trichechus senegalensis - African manatee
 Trichechus inunguis - Amazonian manatee
 Trichechus bernhardi - dwarf manatee
Distribution
The species Trichechus senegalensis inhabits the coasts of West Africa, Trichechus inunguis inhabits the east coast of South America and the rivers of the Amazon, and third, laTrichechus manatus, inhabits the rivers and estuaries Antilles and the Caribbean basin, especially off the coast of Puerto Rico. The Florida manatee is considered a subspecies (Trichechus manatus latirostris) and West Indian manatee, which lives from the north to northeastern South America, is considered as another (Trichechus manatus manatus).
More recently described a fourth species of manatee, manatee Trichechus bernhandi dwarf. It is close to the Amazonian manatee, rather a probable subspecies, which only reaches 1.3 m in length. It has a very restricted distribution, about 120 km of the river Aruainho, a tributary of Aripuanii; inhabits fast-flowing clear waters and feeds horizontally, not vertically as does its parent.
Threats and protection
Manatees have been hunted mainly for their meat and fat, but at present its species are protected.
The West Indian manatee is an endangered species. Human expansion has reduced its natural habitat in many areas. Manatee Reserve in Rio Dulce, Guatemala, is perhaps one of the last sanctuaries. Manatees ingest toxic substances or metal mixed with vegetables.The indiscriminate hunting reduced the population and many manatees have been injured by motor boats.
In the case of the Florida manatee, due to its distribution over the line of the Tropic of Cancer, often congregate near artificial heat sources such as nuclear power plants. When they do this, they stop migrating and become dependent on this artificial source of heat.Before the closure or relocation of some sources of artificial heat, heat the water needed to prevent the disappearance of these populations of manatees.
Wildlife reserves where manatees
 Leather and salty - Honduras
 Rio Dulce, Lake Izabal - Guatemala
 Chetumal Bay - Mexico
 Estero Hondo - Dominican Republic
 National Park Tortuguero - Costa Rica
 National Park - State of Sucre - Venezuela Turuépano
 Wildlife Refuge Cuero y Salado - La Ceiba, Atlantida - Honduras
By: Hernandez Aguayo Nestor Giovanny