Manatee occurrence in the northern Gulf of Mexico, west of Florida
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Abstract
Reports of West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) in the US Gulf of Mexico west of Florida have increased during the last decade. We reviewed all available manatee sighting, capture, and carcass records (n = 377) from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas since the early 1900s; only 40 of these were previously published. Manatees were reported most often in estuarine habitats, usually either near a freshwater source or natural or industrial warm-water springs/runoffs during winter months. The recent increase in manatee records may be due to a combination of increased public awareness and dispersal of manatees, most likely seasonal migrants from Florida. We caution that the presence of artificial warm-water sources outside of the manatee’s traditional range may attract an increasing number of manatees and could increase the incidence of cold-related mortality in this region.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Manatee occurrence in the northern Gulf of Mexico, west of Florida |
| Series title | Gulf and Caribbean Research |
| DOI | 10.18785/gcr.1701.07 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 2005 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | University of Southern Mississippi |
| Contributing office(s) | Southeast Ecological Science Center |
| Description | 26 p. |
| First page | 69 |
| Last page | 94 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| Other Geospatial | Gulf of Mexico |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |