Smooth dark-grey to black skin, usually pale chest or belly patches, rounded paddle tail and flippers without nails. Freshwater rivers, lakes and seasonally flooded wetlands; an inland exception within the marine-mammal checklist.
See Amazonian Manatee clearly
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Wildlife education
This record supports wildlife education. Aquarium-care questions are not assigned to this profile.
Wild marine mammal outside home-aquarium scope.
Wildlife reference only; unsuitable for home aquariums. No captive operating protocol is validated by this profile.
Outstanding care evidence
- Institutional lifetime husbandry and veterinary protocol
Identification
Smooth dark-grey to black skin, usually pale chest or belly patches, rounded paddle tail and flippers without nails.
Names and Classification
A wildlife species in the family Trichechidae. The accepted scientific name follows the Society for Marine Mammalogy checklist.
Adult Size
Recorded length reaches about 3 m and mass at least 450 kg; these are reported upper sizes, not sex-specific averages.
Distribution and Habitat
Amazon basin and connected freshwater tributaries in northern South America. Freshwater rivers, lakes and seasonally flooded wetlands; an inland exception within the marine-mammal checklist.
Feeding and Ecological Role
Aquatic and partly submerged plants, with some floating fruits; food availability changes with flood cycles. Seasonal floods govern feeding access. Hunting and modification of freshwater habitat threaten populations.
Reproduction and Life History
Usually a single calf after roughly a year of gestation; births can peak during rising water.
Conservation
Vulnerable (IUCN global category reported by institutional source; Checked 2026-10-17). Global category does not replace national legal listings or local population assessments.
Responsible Observation
Watch from a distance, never feed, touch or pursue animals, and follow local wildlife protections. Report injured or entangled animals to trained responders.
About the Photographs
3 verified photographs of living animals were selected. Each has its own photographer credit, reuse licence and source page. Source context is retained; dead animals, drawings and unidentified substitutes were excluded.
Aquarium Suitability
Wildlife education only. This marine mammal is outside home-aquarium stocking and care guidance. Wild range and diet are not a captive operating protocol; this profile does not infer tank dimensions, water settings, acquisition advice or an institutional welfare plan.
Evidence Gaps
Sex-specific adult size averages Regional demographic trends
A living record
Species natural history checked against the linked government, museum, conservation and taxonomic sources. Historical accounts are not used as current population estimates. Image licences and source contexts are recorded separately. Public content last reviewed October 17, 2026.
- Institutional species natural-history account ↗Reference source
- Current institutional conservation/taxonomic source ↗Reference source
- SMM 2026 checklist ↗Reference source
- Society for Marine Mammalogy — species and subspecies list (April 2026) ↗Reference source