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West Indian ManateeTrichechus manatus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the West Indian Manatee profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 49 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Species Profile

West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Species Profile.

The page saysthe warm springs many manatees rely on in cooler months
The source saysTo keep warm in cooler months, many manatees rely on the warm water from natural springs, power plant outfalls, and passive thermal basins.Note: the source's "many" is now carried in the text itself
The page saysfrom the southeastern United States through the Caribbean, Central America and northeastern South America
The source saysToday West Indian manatees are found in the southeastern U.S., eastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panamá, Nicaragua, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and in the Bahamas.
The page says9 to 10 feet long and weighs around 1,000 pounds
The source saysAdult manatees are typically 9-10 feet long but can reach lengths of more than 13 feet... Adult manatees typically weigh around 1,000 pounds but some can weigh as much as 3,500 pounds.
The page sayssome individuals reach more than 13 feet and weigh as much as 3,500 pounds
The source sayscan reach lengths of more than 13 feet... some can weigh as much as 3,500 pounds.
The page saysA newborn calf weighs just 60 to 70 pounds
The source saysAt birth, a manatee calf weighs around 60 to 70 pounds.
The page saysstays close to its mother for about two years while she teaches it how to migrate and where the warm water sites are
The source saysThe mother manatee cares for her calf for about two years. This is a very important time for the manatee calf as, during this time, the adult female teaches her offspring critical survival skills: how to migrate, where the warm water sites are, and where to find forage, freshwater, and sheltered areas.
The page saysrange along the coasts and rivers of the southeastern United States, through the Caribbean and Central America
The source saysToday West Indian manatees are found in the southeastern U.S., eastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panamá, Nicaragua, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and in the Bahamas.Note: manatees live in "coastal and riverine areas throughout their range" per the same page
The page saysdown to Brazil's northeastern Atlantic coast
The source saysThe Antillean manatee is found along the Gulf of America coast, through the Caribbean, and along Brazil’s northeastern Atlantic coastline.Note: this is the page's current-range statement; its "as far south as Brazil's Atlantic coastline" elsewhere is the historical range
The page saysa range-wide population estimate of at least 13,000
The source saysthe range-wide population estimate for the West Indian manatee is at least 13,000 manatees.
The page saysa manatee can hold its breath for as long as 20 minutes
The source saysManatees typically surface every three to five minutes to breathe but can hold their breath as long as 20 minutes.

Source
02

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Florida Manatee Facts and Information. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The page saysgrazed for up to eight hours a day
The source saysthese herbivores usually spend up to eight hours a day grazing on seagrasses and other aquatic plants.
The page saysMarching molars that are constantly replaced, new teeth forming at the back of the jaw and moving forward about a centimeter a month
The source saysA manatee's teeth (all molars) are constantly being replaced. New teeth come in at the back of the jaw and move forward horizontally about a centimeter a month.
The page saysManatees may live past 65 years in captivity
The source saysmay live over 65 years in captivity.
The page saysof the wild manatees that reach adulthood, only about half are expected to survive into their early twenties
The source saysOf the wild manatees that reach adulthood, only about half are expected to survive into their early 20s.
The page saysManatees usually spend up to eight hours a day grazing on seagrass, mangrove leaves and algae
The source saysthese herbivores usually spend up to eight hours a day grazing on seagrasses and other aquatic plants.Note: "seagrass, mangrove leaves and algae" for the specific plants comes from uwi-manatee, quoted separately above; this entry covers the body's "eight hours a day" figure specifically
The page saysusing an upper lip whose two sides move independently to grab plants and draw them into their mouths, the same trick an elephant, a distant relative, pulls off with the tip of its trunk
The source saysA manatee can move each side of its lip pads independently. This flexibility allowsthe manatee to "grab" aquatic plants and draw them into its mouth. The manatee uses its muscular prehensile upper lips much like an elephant (a distant relative of the manatee) uses the tip of its trunk to pick up items.Note: source text runs "allowsthe" as one word (extraction artifact); quoted verbatim
The page sayswarm springs and power-plant outflows
The source saysPrior to winter's coldest months, manatees migrate to warm water habitats in Florida. These warm-water sites include artesian springs and power plant discharge canals.
The page saysA manatee's ribs are solid bone with no marrow (its red blood cells form in its sternum instead)
The source saysThe manatee's rib bones are solid, there is no marrow. They make red blood cells in their sternum where marrow is found.
The page saysits lungs run a meter or more along its backbone instead of around its ribcage
The source saysThe manatee's lungs lie along its backbone instead of along its rib cage as is found in most mammals. The lungs are long (1 meter or more in adults)
The page saysManatees also wear down their molars on plants that often carry sand, so new teeth grow in at the back of the jaw and shuffle forward about a centimeter a month to replace the ones that fall out the front
The source saysNew teeth come in at the back of the jaw and move forward horizontally about a centimeter a month. The front molars eventually fall out and are replaced by the teeth behind them. This tooth replacement is an adaptation to the manatee's diet as manatees consume plants that often hold sand that can wear down its teeth.Note: "so" restates the causal link the source itself states ("This tooth replacement is an adaptation to... diet"), not an added claim
The page saysManatees have no biting teeth, only grinding molars, and a diet of plants that often carry sand wears those molars down.
The source saysManatees have no "biting" teeth, only "grinding" teeth. A manatee's teeth (all molars) are constantly being replaced.
The page saysnew teeth form at the back of the jaw and shuffle forward about a centimeter a month, eventually pushing the oldest molars out the front
The source saysNew teeth come in at the back of the jaw and move forward horizontally about a centimeter a month. The front molars eventually fall out and are replaced by the teeth behind them.

Source
03

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Manatee. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

The page saysdense bones may help keep it neutrally buoyant
The source saysThe manatee skeleton is made of very dense bone (pachyostotic) a condition that may contribute to its “neutral buoyancy,” meaning its physical body density is equal to the water in which it swims.Note: tagline paraphrase of 'may contribute to its neutral buoyancy'
The page saysThat unusually dense skeleton may contribute to a manatee's neutral buoyancy: a body whose density equals the water it swims in
The source saysThe manatee skeleton is made of very dense bone (pachyostotic) a condition that may contribute to its “neutral buoyancy,” meaning its physical body density is equal to the water in which it swims.Note: the marrow sits in the sternum, so the skeleton is no longer called marrow-free
The page saysA manatee swaps out 90 percent of the air in its lungs with each breath.
The source saysWhen they do take a breath, they do it well: 90 percent of the air in their lungs is replaced, while humans, in contrast, only replace about 10 percent.
The page saysHumans manage about 10 percent
The source saysWhen they do take a breath, they do it well: 90 percent of the air in their lungs is replaced, while humans, in contrast, only replace about 10 percent.Note: the 20-minute figure in the same sentence is claimed separately against fws-manatee; no source links the two, so the sentence no longer says the breath exchange is part of why
The page saysreplaces 90 percent of the air in its lungs with each breath, against a human's 10 percent
The source saysWhen they do take a breath, they do it well: 90 percent of the air in their lungs is replaced, while humans, in contrast, only replace about 10 percent.Note: SDZ's page covers all three manatee species; the breathing statement is made of manatees generally

Source
04

The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine

Trichechus manatus (West Indian Manatee). The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine.

The page saysShallow coastal waters, slow-moving rivers and estuaries
The source saysFound in shallow coastal areas, slow moving rivers and estuaries, canals and saltwater bays.
The page saysMainly seagrass, mangrove leaves and algae
The source saysThe diet of the manatee mainly herbivorous, they prefer seagrasses, mangrove leaves and algae.Note: the source's "mainly" is now carried in the text itself (the same source records occasional insects, crustaceans and fish)

Source
05

Deutsch & Morales-Vela 2024

Deutsch & Morales-Vela (2024). Trichechus manatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T22103A43792740.

The page saysVulnerable
The source saysVulnerableNote: IUCN category read through GBIF's copy of the Red List, per docs/fact-check.md; quote is exactly "Vulnerable" as instructed, too short to prove much beyond the category itself, which is expected for this claim type

Source
06

Laist, Taylor & Reynolds 2013

Laist, Taylor & Reynolds (2013). Winter Habitat Preferences for Florida Manatees and Vulnerability to Cold. PLoS ONE.

The page saysFlorida manatees, especially young ones, are vulnerable to death from cold stress once the water falls below about 18 to 20°C for long stretches, or drops to 10 to 12°C for even a few days
The source saysFlorida manatees, particularly juveniles, are vulnerable to death from cold stress when water temperatures fall below 18–20°C for long periods of time, or to temperatures of 10–12°C or less for periods of a few days or less.
The page saysTo survive those spells, almost all of Florida's manatees stay near warm springs and power-plant outflows.
The source saysTo survive such periods almost all Florida manatees remain near pockets of warm waterNote: the two refuge types named in the sentence are claimed separately against fwc-manatee below
The page saysFlorida manatees, especially young ones, are vulnerable to death from cold stress once the water falls below about 18 to 20°C for long stretches, or to 10 to 12°C for even a few days
The source saysFlorida manatees, particularly juveniles, are vulnerable to death from cold stress when water temperatures fall below 18–20°C for long periods of time, or to temperatures of 10–12°C or less for periods of a few days or less.
The page saysStatewide winter counts from 1999 to 2011 put 48.5% of manatees at power-plant outfalls, 17.5% at natural springs and 34.9% at passive thermal basins or sites with no known warm-water feature.
The source saysUsing statewide winter counts of manatees from 1999 to 2011... Statewide across all years, 48.5% of all manatees were counted at power plant outfalls, 17.5% at natural springs, and 34.9 % at passive thermal basins or sites with no known warm-water features.
The page saysComparing where cold-stress carcasses turned up against where those refuges are, springs appear to offer the best protection.
The source saysBased on a comparison of carcass recovery locations for 713 manatees killed by cold stress between 1999 and 2011 and the distribution of known refuges, it appears that springs offer manatees the best protection against cold stress.

Source
07

Gerstein et al. 1999

Gerstein et al. (1999). The underwater audiogram of the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus). The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

The page sayswhose weak low-frequency hearing may be part of why boats keep hitting it
The source saysInadequate hearing sensitivity at low frequencies may be a contributing factor to the manatees' inability to effectively detect boat noise and avoid collisions with boats.Note: the source's hedge and its scope (low frequencies, a contributing factor) are carried into the tagline as "weak low-frequency hearing may be part of why"; how often collisions kill manatees is claimed separately in the body against sdz-manatee
The page saysA manatee's best hearing sits between roughly 6 and 20 kilohertz.
The source saysThe range of best hearing is 6-20 kHz (approximately 9 dB down from maximum sensitivity).Note: "roughly" added to keep the approximate framing the source itself uses ("approximately")
The page saysResearchers who tested two adult manatees found that weak hearing at low frequencies may be a contributing factor in why the animals struggle to detect boat noise and avoid collisions.
The source saysThe hearing thresholds of two adult manatees were measured... Inadequate hearing sensitivity at low frequencies may be a contributing factor to the manatees' inability to effectively detect boat noise and avoid collisions with boats.

Source
08

Gaspard et al. 2013

Gaspard et al. (2013). Detection of hydrodynamic stimuli by the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris). Journal of Comparative Physiology A.

The page saysStiff whiskers called vibrissae cover a manatee's entire body, and research suggests they work like a fish's lateral line, a sensory system built to read water movement.
The source saysAnatomical and behavioral research suggests that the vibrissae and associated follicle-sinus complexes that manatees possess over their entire body form a sensory array system for detecting hydrodynamic stimuli analogous to the lateral line system of fish.
The page saystwo Florida manatees detected water displacement of less than a millionth of a meter at frequencies from 15 to 150 hertz
The source saysTwo Florida manatees were tested in a go/no-go procedure using a staircase method to assess their ability to detect low-frequency water movement... The manatees detected particle displacement of less than 1 μm for frequencies of 15-150 HzNote: 1 μm is one millionth of a meter; Hz written out as hertz for the audience
The page saysFlorida manatees have little difficulty in the turbid waterways they live in, which often contain obstacles they have to swim around.
The source saysThey have little difficulty navigating the turbid waterways, which often contain obstacles that they must circumnavigate.Note: the source's subject is "Florida manatees" in the preceding sentence; named here so "they" is not read as the two tested animals

Source
09

Federal Register, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2025

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Threatened Status for the Florida Manatee and Endangered Status for the Antillean Manatee. Federal Register, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2025.

The page saysNinety-six percent of Florida manatees have scars from at least one watercraft collision
The source saysNinety-six percent of Florida manatees have scars from at least one watercraft collision
The page saysfrom 1990 through 2021 those collisions were the most prevalent cause of death for Florida manatees, behind 19.1 percent of all documented carcasses
The source saysFrom 1990 through 2021, watercraft-related collisions were the most prevalent cause of death for Florida manatees; during that time, 2,503 Florida manatee deaths (or 19.1 percent of all documented carcasses) were attributed to watercraft-related collisionsNote: replaces the San Diego Zoo page's undated 'about half the deaths', which the 2025 Federal Register contradicts
The page saysIn 2017 the West Indian manatee, both subspecies included, was reclassified from endangered to threatened.
The source saysIn 2017, the West Indian manatee, including both subspecies, was reclassified from endangered to threatened (see 82 FR 16668, April 5, 2017).
The page saysIn a proposed rule published on 14 January 2025
The source saysFederal Register Volume 90, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 14, 2025)... ACTION: Proposed rule.
The page saysthe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the Florida manatee as threatened and the Antillean manatee as endangered
The source sayswe are proposing to list the Florida manatee as a threatened species with protective regulations under section 4(d) of the Act... and the Antillean manatee as an endangered species, under the Act.
The page saystwo listings that would replace the current threatened listing of the species
The source saysThese two listings would replace the current threatened species listing of the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus).
The page saystags: herbivore
The source saysWest Indian manatees (manatees) are large, herbivorous marine mammals with short, paired flippers and a distinct paddle-shaped tail.
The page saysweightKg: 400
The source saysAdults average about 3.0 meters (m) (9.8 feet (ft)) in length and 400 kilograms (kg) (900 pounds (lb)) in weightNote: weightKg records a typical adult, which is the average the quote gives

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.