West Indian ManateePhotos, Pictures, Prints

View West Indian manatee photos, license West Indian manatee stock pictures, and buy stunning West Indian manatee prints by award winning professional photographer Jon Cornforth. To license an image for editorial or commercial use, click on the License Image button and fill out the form. To purchase a fine art print, select your image size and presentation style before clicking on the Buy Print button.

Sea Cows

The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) or “sea cow” is the largest surviving member of the aquatic mammal order Sirenia. There are two subspecies of this animal: the Florida manatee and the Antilles or Caribbean manatee. 

Like other sirenians, this manatee lives entirely in water. Hence, they have no hind limbs. Large in size, they are about 2.7–3.5 m (8.9–11.5 ft) long and weigh 200–600 kg (440–1,320 lb). In terms of color, they are gray or brown. Their flippers have either three or four nails.

In the 1970s, there were only several hundred of this species left. That’s because manatees often encountered motorboats in Florida’s waterways. However, conservation efforts and increased awareness have helped this species rebound. As of 2017, the population had grown to 6,000.

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