Trichechus

Trichechus inunguis is an endemic species of the Amazon, which inhabits mainly in lakes and calm rivers. The objective of this study
case was to describe the social behaviour of two female-orphaned calves, of T. inunguis in captivity. They were kept in the same pool
at the facilities of the Amazon Rescue Center (ARC, Iquitos, Peruvian Amazon). Between February and October 2011, the individuals
were observed during day and night times, completing 352 hours of observation. Through ad libitum observation of the individuals,
we developed a catalogue of social behaviors that includes descriptions of 93 behaviours, classified in eight behavioural categories.
The frequency of behaviours was assessed by instantaneous sampling (for states) and continuous recording (for events). Manatees
displayed mainly social behaviours, and the most frequent interaction was the simultaneous starting of the same behaviour by both
individuals. Most of social behaviours occurred during the day, but ‘group resting’ was recorded mostly at night. ‘Synchronized
breathing’ and ‘group feeding’ did not have temporary variation between days or between daytimes. Regarding the use of the space,
the majority of interactions occurred in shaded places. This study revealed strong interactions between confined calves, suggesting
that social activity may play an important role in their learning process.

Cetaceans are obligate aquatic mammals derived from terrestrial artiodactyls. The defining characteristic of cetaceans is a thick and dense lip (pachyosteosclerotic involucrum) of an ear bone (the tympanic). This unique feature is absent in modern terrestrial artiodactyls and is suggested to be important in underwater hearing. Here, we investigate the mineralogical and biochemical properties of the involucrum, as these may hold clues to the aquatic adaptations of cetaceans. We compared bioapatites (enamel, dentine, cementum, and skeletal bone) of cetaceans with those of terrestrial artiodactyls and pachyosteosclerotic ribs of manatees (Sirenia). We investigated organic, carbonate, and mineral composition as well as crystal size and crystallinity index. In all studied variables, bioapatites of the cetacean involucrum were intermediate in composition and structure between those of tooth enamel on the one hand and those of dentine, cementum, and skeletal bone on the other. We also stud...

The aim of this study was to characterize the yeast microbiota of natural cavities of manatees kept in captivity in Brazil. Sterile swabs from the oral cavity, nostrils, genital opening, and rectum of 50 Trichechus inunguis and 26 Trichechus manatus were collected. The samples were plated on Sabouraud agar with chloramphenicol and incubated at 25 °C for 5 days. The yeasts isolated were phenotypically identified by biochemical and micromorphological tests. Overall, 141 strains were isolated, of which 112 were from T. inunguis (Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis sensu stricto, Candida orthopsilosis, Candida metapsilosis, Candida guilliermondii, Candida pelliculosa, Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata, Candida famata, Candida krusei, Candida norvegensis, Candida ciferri, Trichosporon sp., Rhodotorula sp., Cryptococcus laurentii) and 29 were from T. manatus (C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. famata, C. guilliermondii, C. krusei, Rhodotorula sp., Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Rhodotorula m...

Because thyroid hormones play a critical role in the regulation of metabolism, the low metabolic rates reported for manatees suggest that thyroid hormone concentrations in these animals may also be reduced. However, thyroid hormone concentrations have yet to be examined in manatees. The effects of captivity, diet and water salinity on plasma total triiodothyronine (tT(3)), total thyroxine (tT(4)) and free thyroxine (fT(4)) concentrations were assessed in adult West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus). Free-ranging manatees exhibited significantly greater tT(4) and fT(4) concentrations than captive adults, regardless of diet, indicating that some aspect of a captive existence results in reduced T(4) concentrations. To determine whether this reduction might be related to feeding, captive adults fed on a mixed vegetable diet were switched to a strictly sea grass diet, resulting in decreased food consumption and a decrease in body mass. However, tT(4) and fT(4) concentrations were sign...

Mammalian species use tactile hairs to address a variety of perceptual challenges in detecting and responding appropriately to environmental stimuli. With a wide range of functional roles that range from object detection, to fine texture discrimination, to hydrodynamic trail perception, tactile hairs have been adapted for a variety of environmental niches to enhance survival through optimizing detection of somatosensory cues. Because the high level of innervation associated with tactile hairs requires a commensurately high dedication of neural resources, their distribution is restricted to specific regions of the body that encounter stimuli of interest--commonly, the face. However, several species--namely bats, naked mole-rats, hyraxes, manatees, and dugongs--are rare exceptions, with tactile hair distribution that has expanded to cover the entire body. This review examines the behavioral advantages conferred by this unusual trait, the neuroanatomical adaptations that accompany it, and how this pattern might have evolved.

The health of many Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is adversely affected by exposure to blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis. K. brevis blooms are common in manatee habitats of Florida's southwestern coast and produce a group of cyclic polyether toxins collectively referred to as red tide toxins, or brevetoxins. Although a large number of manatees exposed to significant levels of red tide toxins die, several manatees are rescued from sublethal exposure and are successfully treated and returned to the wild. Sublethal brevetoxin exposure may potentially impact the manatee immune system. Lymphocyte proliferative responses and a suite of immune function parameters in the plasma were used to evaluate effects of brevetoxin exposure on health of manatees rescued from natural exposure to red tide toxins in their habitat. Blood samples were collected from rescued manatees at Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, FL and from healthy, unexposed manatees in Crystal River, FL. Peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) isolated from whole blood were stimulated with T-cell mitogens, ConA and PHA. A suite of plasma parameters, including plasma protein electrophoresis profiles, lysozyme activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and reactive oxygen/nitrogen (ROS/RNS) species, was also used to assess manatee health. Significant decreases (p<0.05) in lymphocyte proliferation were observed in ConA and PHA stimulated lymphocytes from rescued animals compared to non-exposed animals. Significant correlations were observed between oxidative stress markers (SOD, ROS/RNS) and plasma brevetoxin concentrations. Sublethal exposure to brevetoxins in the wild impacts some immune function components, and thus, overall health, in the Florida manatee.

Invertebrate-derived ingested DNA (iDNA) is quickly proving to be a valuable, non-invasive tool for monitoring vertebrate species of conservation concern. Using the DNA barcoding locus, we successfully identified both the blood-feeding leech Haementeria acuecueyetzin and its blood meal-the latter is shown to be derived from the Caribbean manatee, Trichechus manatus . DNA amplification was successful despite the fact that the specimen was fixed in Mezcal (a beverage distilled from agave). We report the first confirmed case of a leech feeding on a manatee, the first record of H. acuecueyetzin for the State of Chiapas and, to our knowledge, the first case of successful DNA amplification of a biological sample fixed in Mezcal other than the caterpillar "worms" more commonly found in that beverage.

INTRODUCTION. Corneal avascularity, which is required for optical clarity and optimal vision, is still an active subject of mechanistic inquiry (1). We hypothesized that the cornea remains avascular despite the presence of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A due to expression of soluble VEGFR-1 (sVEGFR-1), an endogenous VEGF-A trap. METHOD. VEGF-A and sVEGFR-1 expression were assayed by ELISA, western blotting, immunostaining, and in situ hybridization in corneas of normal humans and mice, in corn1 mice and manatees (which have spontaneously vascularized corneas), and in patients with neovascular keratopathies. Corneal vascularization was assessed by CD31-stained flat mounts. sVEGFR-1 was suppressed in vivo in mice by subconjunctival injection of neutralizing anti-VEGFR-1 antibodies, by intracorneal injection of plasmids (2) encoding short hairpin RNA (shRNA) against sVEGFR-1, or by Ad-Cre injection into the corneas of Vegfr1 loxP/loxP mice. Various controls were employed in...