West African Manatee
| West African Manatee Conservation status: Vulnerable | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Trichechus senegalensis Link, 1795 |
The West African Manatee Trichechus senegalensis is a species of manatee, and is the least studied of the sirenians. Photos of West African Manatees are very rare; although very little is known about this species, scientists think they are similar to the West Indian Manatees. They are found in coastal marine and estuarine habitats, and in fresh water river systems along the west coast of Africa from the Senegal River south to the Kwanza River in Angola, including areas in Gambia, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, and Zaire. Although crocodiles and sharks occasionally kill manatees in Africa, their only significant threats are from humankind, such as poaching, habitat loss, and other environmental impacts.