Plate 33. The Manatee. Trichechus manatus, L. Manatee feeding.
Image ID: figb0289, Historic NMFS Collection
Source http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/historic/nmfs/figb0289.htm
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Figb0289.jpg

The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) or "sea cow" is a manatee, and the largest surviving member of the aquatic mammal order Sirenia (which also includes the dugong and the extinct Steller's sea cow). The West Indian manatee is a species distinct from the Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis) and the African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis). Based on genetic and morphological studies, the West Indian manatee is divided into two subspecies, the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) and the Antillean or Caribbean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus). Order: Sirenia, Family: Trichechidae, Genus: Trichechus, Species: Trichechus manatus Linnaeus, 1758.