The West Indian manatee lives in shallow coastal waters and rivers in tropical and subtropical areas, primarily eating sea grasses. They communicate through squeals to keep contact between mothers and calves. While they do not have social hierarchies, manatees play together in ways like barrel rolling and body surfing, which is thought to be a form of communication. More research is still needed to fully understand manatee communication.

1. West Indian Manatee
communication
Brett Shrable
Vertebrate Zoology Summer 2017 Lab Report C

2. Trichechus manatus
West Indian manatee
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/west-indian-manatee/#west-indian-manatee-
group.jpg
Order: Sirenia
Family: Trichechidae
https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2011/1
0/31/a-new-phylogeny-of-the-mammals/
Not found in Arkansas
and no close relatives
in Arkansas.
• Body length ~ 3
meters
• Weight 200-600kg
• Females are
generally larger
• Gray or brown

3. Habitat and geographic
range
http://fmhsapesfirst.blogspot.com/2016/01/hooray-manatees-are-savedor-are-
they.html
• freshwater and marine
• shallow rivers, canals, saltwater bays,
estuaries and coastal areas
• tropical and subtropical waters
• waters 3 to 5 meters deep
• primarily eat sea grasses
• opportunistically eat other plants, some
invertebrates, and fish
http://www.arkive.org/west-indian-manatee/trichechus-
manatus/image-G108739.html

4. Manatees are not territorial and do not observe any social hierarchy, but
they do use some forms of communication. Manatees have an acute
ability to hear and squeals are often used to keep contact between a
mother and calf.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CL4qFVMDZg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6tBpIs1CVs
Many of the top researchers believe that there is a larynx
in the manatee that produces these sounds.

5. Observing manatee’s playing with each other as a form of
communication is quite entertaining. They engage in a
variety of movements including barrel rolling and even body
surfing.
http://www.arkive.org/west-indian-manatee/trichechus-manatus/video-la12.html

6. Manatee mating behavior
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb4rGGLr758
 *you might want to mute the audio unless you can take a joke*

7. There is still plenty that is unknown about the communication of manatees. Most
experts agree that more needs to be done in this area of research to help
understand all the different levels that they use to communicate.

8. References
 http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Trichechus_manatus/#geographic_range
 http://www.manatee-world.com/manatee-communication/