Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/97

MANATEE 89 ing flattened into fins, and the posterior limbs wanting and only represented by a rudimen- tary pelvis ; the tail is oval, about one fourth of the extent of the body, ending in a flatten- ed, horizontal, rounded caudal expansion; in these respects it resembles cetaceans. It dif- fers from cetaceans in the separation of the cervical vertebra ; the smaller total number in the whole column, and the absence of osseous disks between the bodies ; the articulation of the ribs to two vertebral bodies and to trans- verse processes ; the long and narrow scapula; the regularly shaped huinerus ; the rounded radius and ulna ; the compact structure of the phalangeal bones ; the wide separation of the occipital condyles, and their partly horizontal position, and the large size of the occipital foramen ; the well marked and strong su- tures, and the absence of internal bony falces ; the fusion of the parietals into one ; the posi- tion of the frontals as usual in front of the parietals ; the strong zygomatic arches ; the Manatee (Manatus latirostris). symmetry of the cranial bones and their usual position ; the shape of the jaws, and the char- acter of the molars ; and the structure of the stomach and heart. Many other distinctions are given in the " Proceedings " of the third meeting of the American association for the advancement of science, Charleston, S. C., 1850 (pp. 42-47). The head is conical, without a distinct line of separation from the body ; the fleshy nose much resembles that of a cow, the nostrils opening as usual on the end of the snout ; the full upper lip has on each side a few bristly tufts of hair; the mouth is not large, and the eyes are small; the openings of the ears are very small. The swimming paws are more free in their motions than in cetaceans, and may be used also for crawling up the muddy banks of the rivers in which they dwell; the separate bones may be felt through the skin, and the fingers are provided with small nails. The skin is of a grayish black color, becoming black on drying, with a few scattered bristles. In the young animal there are two sharp incisor teeth in the up- per jaw, which afterward fall out ; there are no canines ; the molars are generally f~f-, with quadrangular flat crowns, divided by a transverse groove. The bones are dense and heavy, differing in this from cetaceans ; the ribs are numerous and rounded ; the mamma} are two and pectoral ; the intestinal canal is 10 or 12 times the length of the body, in ac- cordance with the vegetable character of their food ; the stomach has two csecal appendages in the pyloric portion, which is separated from the cardiac by a constriction. They inhabit the sea shores, especially about the mouths of rivers, and the rivers themselves, keeping near the land, feeding upon algas and aquatic plants; they do not feed upon the shores, though they sometimes quit the water, and not unf requently support themselves in the shallows in a semi-erect position ; under these circum- stances they present at a distance somewhat of human appearance, increased by the dis- tinct lips, the long whiskers in the male, and the pectoral mammse in the female. The largest and best known species is the Florida manatee (M. latirostris, Harlan), which inhab- its the gulf of Mexico and the West Indies ; it sometimes attains a length of 15 or 20 ft., but is generally about 12. They are usually seen in small troops, associating for mutual protection and for the defence of their young ; they are harmless even when attacked, of gen- tle disposition, not afraid of man, and rarely quarrelling with each other. Being found only in shallow waters, they are easily cap- tured. Their flesh is wholesome and palatable. The South American manatee (Jf. australis, Wiegm.), usually 9 or 10 ft. long, is not un- common about the mouths of the great riv- ers of northern Brazil and Guiana ; it ascends the streams several hundred miles, and even into inland fresh-water lakes ; the flesh of this aquatic mammal is considered fish by the Eo- man Catholic church in Brazil, and may conse- quently be eaten on fast days ; salted and dried in the sun, it is an excellent meat; the oil from the blubber is of fine quality, and free from smell ; the hide is made into harnesses and whips, and is noted for strength and dura- bility. An African species (M. Senegalensis, Desm.) is rarely more than 9 ft. long. The manatees are all tropical, but are not found in the Pacific or Indian oceans, their place being there taken by the allied dugongs (halicore, Illi- ger). There was among the Kussians an animal called the northern manatee or sea cow ; this is the creature described by Steller, forming the genus rhytina (111.) or Stellera (Cuv.). This, the R. Stelleri (Desm.), was unknown before 1741, when Behring's second expedition was wrecked on an island in the straits bearing his name; its flesh formed the principal food of the shipwrecked mariners for nearly a year ; one of the party, Steller, described the ani- mal, and his account was published in St. Pe- tersburg, and probably contains all that will