Amazonian Manatees

The Amazonian Manatee is a large majestic creature that looks something like a grey floating potato. The scientific name for the Amazonian Manatee is Trichechus inunguis. It is part of the order Sirenia and the family Trichechidae. This specific form of manatee is the smallest of the manatees and is distinctly different as it does not   have nails on its pectoral fins and it has white patches on its stomach (Manatee Scientific Classification, 2014). The Amazonian Manatee is quite heavy and can weigh up to a half ton because they have to store food for the dry season where they don’t eat. They have large fins and whiskers on their faces and have a tail almost like a seal’s tail.
                                     
    The Amazonian Manatees are found in the Amazon River and throughout its tributaries in Brazil, Guyana, Ecuador, Columbia, and Peru. The climate of the Amazon River is warm and wet which is the perfect climate for the manatees. But, there is a downside to the river terrain as there are wet and dry seasons. The wet season, or rainy season, is when the manatees can eat up to 8% of their body weight every day. The dry season is when the rivers dry up and leave the manatees stranded in small lakes with very little food, so they fast during this season.
    There are several other organisms that live in the Amazon River with the manatees, including alligators, pink dolphins, sharks, and freshwater catfish. The manatees help aid sediment deposits on the river beds by overconsumption of water grasses. The manatees are prey to sharks and alligators in the water, but they are also prey to animals on land such as the jaguars.   The manatees are a non-aggressive species and have no way to defend themselves against predators.
    The manatees need plenty of food to survive, though they only eat during the wet season.   They obtain food by searching for the patches on the river floors with the most water lettuce and hyacinth. The only things necessary for...