AnAge entry for Trichechus manatus

Classification (HAGRID: 02841)

Taxonomy: Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
        Class: Mammalia (Taxon entry)
            Order: Sirenia
                Family: Trichechidae
                    Genus: Trichechus
Species: Trichechus manatus
Common name: West Indian manatee
Synonyms: Trichecus manatus

Maximum longevity: 69 years (captivity)
Source: ref. 1302
Sample size: Medium
Data quality: Acceptable
Observations: Laboratory studies show that males are physiologically capable of mating when they are 2-3 years old. In the wild, however, they appear to reach full sexual maturity at the age of 9-10 years [0443]. Manatees may also feature some form of continuous tooth development [0002]. One male called "Snooty", born in 1948 and of the latirostrus subspecies, died in 2017 at the Parker Manatee Aquarium; although he had slowed down a bit and sleept more, he was generally healthy and continued to make new teeth (Aarin Allen, pers. comm.) Another specimen was estimated to be 59 years old in the wild [0434].

: No information is available on life history. Please contact us if you wish to suggest or contribute data.

[0443] Ronald Nowak (2003), Walker's Marine Mammals of the World
[0610] Ernest (2003), Life history characteristics of placental non-volant mammals
[0434] Ronald Nowak (1999), Walker's Mammals of the World
[0441] William Burt et al. (1998), A Field Guide to Mammals
[0455] Virginia Hayssen et al. (1993), Asdell's Patterns of Mammalian Reproduction: A Compendium of Species-Specific Data
[0002] Caleb Finch (1990), Longevity, Senescence, and the Genome
[0433] McNab (1988), Complications inherent in scaling the basal rate of metabolism in mammals (PubMed)
[0680] Wootton (1987), The effects of body mass, phylogeny, habitat, and trophic level on mammalian age at first reproduction
[0731] Zullinger et al. (1984), Fitting sigmoid equations to mammalian growth curves
[1302] Remembering Snooty - South Florida Museum