Beberapa catatan mengenai Manatee

SOME NOTES ON THE MANATEE. Manatees (Trichechus spp.) and dugong (Dugong dugon) are representatives of the only living large aquatic herbivorous mammals.A brief note summarizing some published works on the biology, habitat and distribution, food and feeding habit, of manatee is presented. Its potentials as aquatic weed controller is also illustrated.Uncontrolled hunting of manatee has seriously
depleted its number. Therefore this mammal has been listed as endangered species. Efforts toward the conservation of this rare animal have been taken by placing it under protection.Experiments to use manatees as aquatic weed controller carried out in some contries gave encouraging results.However, among other problems, their slow breeding and other biological behaviour should be considered.