Morphometric Body Condition Indices of Wild Florida Manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris)

Harshaw, Lauren; Larkin, Iskande V.; Bonde, Robert K.; Deutsch, Charles J.; Hill, Richard

doi:10.1578/am.42.4.2016.428

Cited by 6 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…Female Antillean manatees in this data set indicated a slightly smaller (non-significant) BCI 1 than males, which was opposite to that found in Florida manatees 22 but similar to dugongs 48 . The average female weight was slightly more than the average male weight (252 vs. 246 kg), and although these data do not constitute a random sample of all weight classes, they do follow the commonly observed pattern that Trichechus manatus sexual dimorphism is biased towards a larger body size in females.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 93%

“…All the BCIs for males from both habitat types obtained in this study were on average smaller than those obtained from Florida manatees (Table 5 ) 22 . All of the Female BCIs from the Riverine habitat type were on average smaller than those from Florida, but the Antillean manatee BCI 1 and BCI 2 from the Coastal habitat were larger.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 53%

“…These two measurements are easily obtained during manatee handling. Remote body condition estimates can even be obtained through aerial photogrammetry, since SL can be measured directly, and UG can be calculated from the animal’s width 22 , 47 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first BCI (Eq. 1) represents the expected proportionality among umbilical girth (UG) and straight-line total length (SL), assuming a geometric similarity (b = 1) 22 : …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The evaluation of BCIs have been applied to a broad array of questions in monitoring long-term effects including: to assess the fluctuation of availability of feeding resources 11 ; to explore the impact of parasitic and infectious diseases on individual health 12 , 13 ; to evaluate the consequences of metal bioaccumulation 14 , organic pollutants 15 , and habitat fragmentation 16 ; and to infer reproductive state in females 10 and males 17 . BCIs have been developed for several marine mammals including polar bears Ursus maritimus 18 , Pacific walruses Odobenus rosmarus divergens 19 , fur seals Callorhinus ursinus 20 , Steller sea lions Eumetopias jubatus 21 , cetaceans 3 , dugongs Dugong dugon 17 , and Florida manatees Trichechus manatus latirostris 22 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Analysis of body condition indices reveals different ecotypes of the Antillean manatee

Castelblanco‐Martínez

Slone

Landeo-Yauri³

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Assessing the body condition of wild animals is necessary to monitor the health of the population and is critical to defining a framework for conservation actions. Body condition indices (BCIs) are a non-invasive and relatively simple means to assess the health of individual animals, useful for addressing a wide variety of ecological, behavioral, and management questions. The Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) is an endangered subspecies of the West Indian manatee, facing a wide variety of threats from mostly human-related origins. Our objective was to define specific BCIs for the subspecies that, coupled with additional health, genetic and demographic information, can be valuable to guide management decisions. Biometric measurements of 380 wild Antillean manatees captured in seven different locations within their range of distribution were obtained. From this information, we developed three BCIs (BCI1 = UG/SL, BCI2 = W/SL3, BCI3 = W/(SL*UG2)). Linear models and two-way ANCOVA tests showed significant differences of the BCIs among sexes and locations. Although our three BCIs are suitable for Antillean manatees, BCI1 is more practical as it does not require information about weight, which can be a metric logistically difficult to collect under particular circumstances. BCI1 was significantly different among environments, revealing that the phenotypic plasticity of the subspecies have originated at least two ecotypes—coastal marine and riverine—of Antillean manatees.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 93%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 53%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first BCI (Eq. 1) represents the expected proportionality among umbilical girth (UG) and straight-line total length (SL), assuming a geometric similarity (b = 1) 22 : …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%