Editing African manatee (section)

==Range and habitat==
African manatees inhabit the widest ranges of habitats of any sirenian species, ranging from offshore islands in the Atlantic to rivers in the western Sahel, equatorial rainforest rivers, and so on. It has been reported that coastal populations ascend rivers during the rainy season and descend again during the dry season.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Keith-Diagne |first1=Lucy W. |last2=de Larrinoa |first2=Pablo Fernandez |last3=Diagne |first3=Tomas |last4=Gonzalez |first4=Luis Mariano |date=2021-01-15 |title=First Satellite Tracking of the African Manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) and Movement Patterns in the Senegal River |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1578/am.47.1.2021.21 |journal=Aquatic Mammals |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=21–29 |doi=10.1578/am.47.1.2021.21 |s2cid=234312833 |issn=0167-5427|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The movement and habitat of the African manatee has been threatened by the building of agricultural and hydroelectric dams along rivers that isolate populations, such as the [[Akosombo Dam]] in Ghana. The [[Diama Dam]] has permanently isolated the Senegal River manatee population from the coast, as has the Felou Dam in Mali. 

African Manatees can be found in West African regions: [[Angola]], [[Benin]], [[Cameroon]], [[Chad]], the [[Republic of the Congo]], the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Côte d'Ivoire]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Gabon]], [[The Gambia]], [[Ghana]], [[Guinea]], [[Guinea-Bissau]], [[Liberia]], [[Mali]], [[Mauritania]], [[Niger]], [[Nigeria]], [[Senegal]], [[Sierra Leone]], and [[Togo]]. Manatees are found in [[Brackish water|brackish]] waters to freshwater: in oceans, rivers, lakes, coastal estuaries, reservoirs, lagoons, and bays on the coast.<ref name="IUCN" /> African manatees rarely inhabit waters with a temperature below {{nowrap|18°C (64°F).<ref name="EOL"/>}}

Manatees have been found as far as {{convert|75|km|mi|0}} offshore, where there are shallow coastal flats and calm [[mangrove]] creeks filled with seagrass. Inland lakes where manatees dwell include [[Lake Volta]], the [[Inner Niger Delta|Inner Niger River Delta]] in Mali, [[Lake Léré]], and Lake de Tréné. Due to fluctuating flow rates and water levels in rivers, some of these permanent lakes serve as refuges for manatees in connecting rivers during the dry season. From north to south, the river systems that contain manatees include: the [[Sénégal River|Senegal]], [[Saloum River|Saloum]], [[Gambia River|Gambia]], [[Casamance River|Casamance]], [[Cacheu River|Cacheu]], Mansôa, [[Geba River|Geba]], [[Grande de Buba River|Buba]], Tombali, Cacine, Kogon, [[Konkouré River|Konkouré]], [[Sierra Leone River|Sierra Leone]], [[Great Scarcies River|Great Scarcies]], [[Little Scarcies River|Little Scarcies]], [[Sherbro River|Sherbro]], Malem, Waanje, [[Sewa River|Sewa]], Missunado, [[Cavalla River|Cavalla]], [[Saint Paul River|St. Paul]], Morro, [[Saint John River (Liberia)|St. John]], [[Bandama River|Bandama]], Niouniourou, [[Sassandra River|Sassandra]], [[Comoé River|Comoé]], [[Bia River|Bia]], [[Tano River|Tano]], [[Volta River|Volta]], [[Mono River|Mono]], [[Ouémé River|Oueme]], [[Niger River|Niger]], [[Mékrou River|Mekrou]], [[Benue River|Benue]], [[Cross River (Nigeria)|Cross]], [[Katsina Ala River|Katsena Ala]], [[Bani River|Bani]], [[Akwayafe River|Akwayafe]], [[Rio del Rey]], Ngosso, Andokat, Mene, Munaya, [[Wouri River|Wouri]], [[Sanaga River|Sanaga]], [[Faro River|Faro]], [[Chari River|Chari]], Bamaingui, Bahr-Kieta, [[Logone River|Logoné]], [[Mitémélé]], [[Gabon Estuary|Gabon]], [[Ogooué River|Ogooué]], Lovanzi, [[Kouilou-Niari River|Kouilou]], [[Congo River|Congo]], [[Dande River|Dande]], [[Bengo River|Bengo]], and [[Cuanza River|Cuanza]]. Manatees move up these rivers until they are unable to proceed because of shallow waters or strong waterfalls.<ref name="IUCN"/>

The areas with the highest manatee populations are Guinea-Bissau, the lagoons of Côte d'Ivoire, the southern portions of the Niger River in Nigeria, the Sanaga River in Cameroon, the coastal lagoons in Gabon, and the lower parts of the Congo River. As part of a study completed in Côte d'Ivoire to assess where the majority of African manatees favor living, a sample of African manatees was radio-tagged and tracked. The tracking observed most of the sample in coastal lagoons, mangroves, and other [[Herbaceous plant|herbaceous]] growths. They were also found in the grassy estuaries of big rivers with mangroves and in protected coastal spots with less than {{convert|3|m|ft|0}} of water containing both mangroves and marine [[macrophyte]]s.<ref name="IUCN"/>