The Sirenia currently comprise two distinct families: Dugongidae (the dugong and the now extinct Steller's sea cow) and Trichechidae (manatees namely the Amazonian manatee, West Indian manatee, and West African manatee) with a total of four species.

What organisms can be found in the order Sirenia?

The mammalian order Sirenia, or sea cows, includes two extant families, the Trichechidae (manatees) and the Dugongidae (the dugong). The name Sirenia comes from the mermaids of Greek mythology that were known as sirens.

What order are manatees and dugongs in?

Marine Species Identification Portal : Manatees and Dugongs - Order Sirenia. There are 4 living species of sirenians, 3 manatees and the dugong. A fifth species, Steller's sea cow, of the North Pacific and Bering Sea, was exterminated by overhunting in the 1700s. Sirenians, like cetaceans, are totally aquatic.

Are walruses Sirenia?

Overview. Sirenians are one of four extant groups of marine mammals, the others being cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), sea otters, and pinnipeds (walruses, earless seals, and eared seals). ... Sirenia also include Steller's sea cow, extinct since the 18th century, and a number of taxa known only from fossils.

Are dolphins Sirenia?

Modern marine mammals include: Cetacea (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), Sirenia (sea cows and dugongs) and Pinnipedia (seals, sea lions, and walruses). All of these groups share limbs that are modified into flippers, and an overall streamlined body shape.

Introduction to the Order Sirenia

What are the 3 orders of marine mammals?

They are divided into three orders: Cetacea (dolphins, whales, and porpoises), Sirenia (sea cows), and Carnivora (carnivores).

Are Sirenia carnivores or herbivores?

Adult sirenians grow to lengths of between 2.8 and 3.5 meters and weights of between 400 and 1,500 kg. All sirenians are herbivores. Their diet varies from species to species but includes a variety of aquatic vegetation such as seagrass, algae, mangrove leaves, and palm fruit that falls into the water.

What order is a manatee in?

Manatees belong to the mammalian order Sirenia. There are 3 species of manatee: Trichechus inunguis, the Amazonian manatee; Trichechus senegalensis, the West African manatee; and Trichechus manatus, the West Indian manatee.

What is Adugong?

The dugong is a species of sea cow found throughout the warm latitudes of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. It is the only member of the Dugongidae family, and its closest living relatives are the manatees. ... The dugong, like all sea cows, is herbivorous.

What is Palawan fossil Sirenia?

A fossil species of the Sirenia has been found on Palawan and possibly went extinct during the Miocene. Most of the described fossils are only known from their incomplete remains known from the Pleistocene. ... Antilope found in 1910, was suggested by Koenigswald in 1956, to be a bovid fossil rather than an antelope.

What three types of animals make up the cetaceans?

Cetaceans (order Cetacea) are an entirely aquatic order of mammals comprising the whales, the dolphins, and the porpoises.

What are absent in Sirenia?

Hairs: Absent, except a few bristles around the muzzle which may also be absent in many whales.

Are sea cows mermaids?

It might seem strange to confuse a slow-moving, blubbery sea cow with a beautiful, fish-tailed maiden. Yet it's a common enough mistake that the scientific name for manatees and dugongs is Sirenia, a name reminiscent of mythical mermaids. Even today there are false mermaid sightings.

Can manatees hurt you?

Manatees are calm and peaceful marine mammals that pose no danger to swimmers. In fact, they are curious animals that enjoy human interaction and are quite happy to relate with and be around humans. ... Manatees are not known to attack or harm anything.

What animal is a manatee related to?

Manatees look a bit like walruses or chunky porpoises and are sometimes referred to as sea cows, but they're actually much more closely related to elephants.

Can manatees walk on land?

Manatees never go on land.

Is a manatee a cetacean?

Dolphins are part of the taxonomic Order Cetacea, which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. It includes about 80 species. ... Manatees, on the other hand, are part of the much smaller Order Sirenia, with just four living species: West Indian Manatee, African Manatee, Amazonian Manatee and Dugong.

What word is the class Sirenia derived from?

Sirenia, commonly sirenians, are also referred to by the common name sirens, deriving from the sirens of Greek mythology. This comes from a legend about their discovery, involving lonely sailors mistaking them for mermaids. "Sea cow" is also the name for a hippopotamus in Afrikaans.

How many dugongs are left in the world?

The total population of 30,000 individuals is roughly presumed by Nishiwaki. tribution, and abundance. The present study will throw a light on the actual status of the distribution of Dugong dugon (Muller 1776) in the world.

What animals are included in each order of marine mammals A?

Marine mammals are classified into four different taxonomic groups: cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses), sirenians (manatees and dugongs), and marine fissipeds (polar bears and sea otters).

What is the largest order of marine mammals?

Marine mammals are a polyphyletic group that comprises 129 species grouped in three orders, Cetacea, Sirenia, and Carnivora (Table 1). The smallest marine mammal is the sea otter (1.15 m, 4.5 kg), and the biggest is the blue whale (30 m, 190 tons).