Marine Mammals
West Indian Manatee
Trichechus manatus · Marine mammal, family Trichechidae (order Sirenia)
The West Indian manatee is a boulder that learned contentment: a gray, whiskered vegetarian the size of a small car, hanging in tea-colored shallows with its paddle tail curled and its nostrils periscoping up for air. Most famous from Florida's winter springs, where hundreds raft together in the clear warm water, it also drifts through Caribbean lagoons and mangrove channels from Belize to the Yucatán, where sightings are scarcer and stranger: a shadow the size of a sofa easing beneath a snorkeler in a cenote-fed inlet. Nothing about it hurries. The propeller scars that identify individual animals are the species' story in shorthand.
Waar en wanneer je er een kunt zien
"Resident" betekent dat je ze bij de meeste duiken op die bestemming tegenkomt; "seizoensgebonden" betekent betrouwbaar aanwezig in de vermelde maanden; al het andere is een bonus, geen garantie.
| Bestemming | Betrouwbaarheid | Maanden | Notities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belize Barrier ReefBelize | Occasional | Het hele jaar door | |
| Florida KeysUnited States | Occasional | Het hele jaar door | |
| Riviera Maya & the CenotesMexico | Rare | Het hele jaar door |
Beste maand, in één oogopslag
| Maand | Betrouwbare bestemmingen |
|---|---|
| January | Belize Barrier Reef · Florida Keys · Riviera Maya & the Cenotes |
| February | Belize Barrier Reef · Florida Keys · Riviera Maya & the Cenotes |
| March | Belize Barrier Reef · Florida Keys · Riviera Maya & the Cenotes |
| April | Belize Barrier Reef · Florida Keys · Riviera Maya & the Cenotes |
| May | Belize Barrier Reef · Florida Keys · Riviera Maya & the Cenotes |
| June | Belize Barrier Reef · Florida Keys · Riviera Maya & the Cenotes |
| July | Belize Barrier Reef · Florida Keys · Riviera Maya & the Cenotes |
| August | Belize Barrier Reef · Florida Keys · Riviera Maya & the Cenotes |
| September | Belize Barrier Reef · Florida Keys · Riviera Maya & the Cenotes |
| October | Belize Barrier Reef · Florida Keys · Riviera Maya & the Cenotes |
| November | Belize Barrier Reef · Florida Keys · Riviera Maya & the Cenotes |
| December | Belize Barrier Reef · Florida Keys · Riviera Maya & the Cenotes |
Ze begrijpen
Habitat: Warm rivers, springs, estuaries, and seagrass coasts; overwinters at warm-water refuges because it cannot tolerate cold
Verspreidingsgebied: Florida and the Gulf of Mexico through the Caribbean coasts of Central and South America; Antillean populations are scattered and small
Gedrag: An unhurried, rotund herbivore that drifts, grazes, and dozes in the shallows, rising nose-first to breathe. Winter cold snaps concentrate Florida's manatees into springs and power-plant outflows by the hundred. Naturally curious, some approach quiet snorkelers; regulations exist precisely because that trust is easy to abuse.
Dieet: Seagrass and freshwater vegetation in enormous quantities: hours of every day are spent grazing
Grootte: doorgaans rond 3.0 m; gedocumenteerd tot 4.0 m (body length; adults typically 400–600 kg, exceptional animals larger).
Hoe je je ertegenover gedraagt
US law prohibits touching, chasing, cornering, or disturbing resting manatees; passive observation only, no entering roped refuge zones, and idle-speed boating in manatee areas. In the listed destinations, treat any sighting as a bonus and keep hands off.
Behoud
Vulnerable; Florida's population recovered enough for a controversial US downlisting, then suffered mass seagrass-starvation mortality in the 2020s. Habitat quality, not just protection, decides its future.
Gekende duiksites waar je ze tegenkomt
Gemarkeerde locaties zijn voor deze soort in kaart gebracht door onze redacteurs; de getallen zijn GBIF-waarnemingsrecords vastgelegd binnen ongeveer 5 km van een locatie sinds 1990.
Bekijk
Via de officiële kanalen
Wildlife of Monterey | New film in our auditorium
Live Aviary Cam | Monterey Bay Aquarium
Live Aviary Cam | Monterey Bay Aquarium
Video's zijn ingesloten links naar de eigen kanalen van de makers. We hosten niets en vermelden altijd de bron.