Illegal hunting is the greatest reason for declines in manatee populations, and local peoples shoot the manatee for food or for their skins. It is believed to be in decline throughout its 21 country range, primarily due to illegal hunting and incidental bycatch. The West African manatee (T. senegalensis), found in coastal areas and slow-moving rivers from Senegal to Angola, also ranges far inland in some rivers. Maxwell Williams. Conservation of West African Manatee Threats. Nine African manatee researcher colleagues and I are in our third year of documenting all threats to African manatees and number captured or killed in five countries: Senegal, The Gambia, Nigeria, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ... Seagrass is his favourite food, but recently scientists discovered that African manatees also like clams and small fish. The African manatee lives along the coast and in the rivers of western Africa. 1287 First St., Sarasota; 941-366-8111; bijoucafe.net The downtown Sarasota restaurant with a menu inspired by owner/chef Jean-Pierre Knaggs' French and South African … Food Habits Trichechus senegalensis feeds primarily on aquatic vegetation, and adults may consume up to 8000kg per year. Food Humans Used to Eat These Adorable (And Delicious) Endangered Animals You gonna finish that? The African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) is still a barely known aquatic mammal from the manatee family. Baseline research is critically needed to inform conservation actions for the species. It lives both in the Atlantic Ocean and in the waters of West African rivers flowing into it. They may also feed on overhanging bank growth, and populations living in estuarine environments are reported to feed exclusively on mangroves (Nowak 1991). People used to eat people. African manatees do not have any hind limbs but they have large forelimbs, or flippers, which are used to paddle and to bring food … The event, planned for April in Senegal, will bring together more than 50 manatee conservationists from at least nine African countries, as well as experts from Florida, Malaysia and Brazil. African manatees sampled from both Gabon and Senegal, and both freshwater and marine systems, regularly ate mollusks and fish as part of their diets. For Gabon manatees living in lagoons and rivers in the Central African rainforest, the model estimated their diet was 90% plants and 10% invertebrates (fish were not sampled from Gabon). phylogenetics and feeding ecology of the african manatee, trichechus senegalensis by lucy ward keith diagne a dissertation presented to the graduate school of the university of florida in partial fulfillment 10.13.16. Bijou Cafe. The African manatee is one of the least understood marine mammals in the world. 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