Editing Manatee (section)

{{short description|Genus of mammals}}
{{About|the aquatic mammal}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = [[Pleistocene|Early Pleistocene]] – [[Holocene|Recent]]<br/>{{fossil range|2.5|0|ref=<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Fossilworks.org |title=''Trichechus'' Linnaeus 1758 (manatee) |url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=36903 |access-date=2021-12-17 |archive-date=2023-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605233924/http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=36903 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| name = Manatees
| image = Trichechus species.png
| image_caption = Clockwise from upper left: [[West Indian manatee]], [[African manatee]], [[Amazonian manatee]]
| parent_authority = 
| taxon = Trichechus
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| type_species = ''[[Trichechus manatus]]''
| type_species_authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision = * ''[[Trichechus hesperamazonicus]]''&nbsp;[[extinct|†]]
* ''[[Amazonian manatee|Trichechus inunguis]]''
* ''[[West Indian manatee|Trichechus manatus]]''
* ''[[African manatee|Trichechus senegalensis]]''
* ''[[Dwarf manatee|Trichechus "pygmaeus"]]'' (validity questionable)
| synonyms = * ''Halipaedisca'' {{small|Gistel 1848}}
* ''Manatus'' {{small|Brunnich 1772}}
* ''Neodermus'' {{small|Rafinesque 1815}}
* ''Oxystomus'' {{small|Fischer von Waldheim 1803}}
}}

'''Manatees''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ae|n|@|t|i:|z}}, [[family (biology)|family]] [[Trichechidae]], [[genus]] '''''Trichechus''''') are large, fully aquatic, mostly [[herbivory|herbivorous]] [[marine mammal]]s sometimes known as '''sea cows'''. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing three of the four living species in the order [[Sirenia]]: the [[Amazonian manatee]] (''Trichechus inunguis''), the [[West Indian manatee]] (''Trichechus manatus''), and the [[West African manatee]] (''Trichechus senegalensis''). They measure up to {{convert|4.0|m|ftin}} long, weigh as much as {{convert|590|kg}},<ref>[http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/west-indian-manatee/ West Indian Manatee Facts and Pictures – National Geographic Kids] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110626181256/http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/west-indian-manatee/ |date=2011-06-26 }}. Kids.nationalgeographic.com. Retrieved on 2011-12-03.</ref> and have paddle-like tails.

Manatees are [[Herbivory|herbivores]] and eat over 60 different freshwater and saltwater plants. Manatees inhabit the shallow, [[marsh]]y coastal areas and rivers of the [[Caribbean Sea]], the [[Gulf of Mexico]], the [[Amazon basin]], and [[West Africa]].

The main causes of death for manatees are human-related issues, such as [[habitat destruction]] and human objects. Their slow-moving, curious nature has led to violent collisions with propeller-driven boats and ships. Some manatees have been found with over 50 scars on them from propeller blades. Natural causes of death include adverse temperatures, predation by crocodiles on young, and disease.