West Indian Manatee
Trichechus manatus latirostris

f16 @ 1/60s, ASA 64, Ektachrome 64 slide film, Nikonos II w 15mm and Ikelite 225 flash

"West Indian Manatee." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The West Indian manatee, also known as the North American manatee, is a large, aquatic mammal native to warm coastal areas of the Caribbean, from the eastern US to northern Brazil. Living alone or in herds, it feeds on underwater plants and uses its whiskers to navigate. It is divided into two endangered subspecies, the Florida manatee (T. m. latirostris) in the US and the Antillean manatee (T. m. manatus) in the Caribbean, both of which face pressure from habitat loss, pollution, and other human activity. The West Indian manatee is the largest of the sirenians (order Sirenia), a group of large aquatic mammals that includes the dugong, other manatees, and the extinct Steller's sea cow.

Crystal River, Florida

00/00/0000