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Declared national symbol during the presidency of Luis Guillermo Solís, on July 15th, 2014, through Law No. 17984. The project was presented by a group of students from the Barrio Limoncito School in the province of Limon and driven by Gerardo Vargas, a Limon legislature, so that national authorities promote conservation policies of this species.
In Costa Rica, manatees are concentrated throughout the Caribbean (Sixaola River, Gandoca Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge, Pacuare River lagoons, Tortuguero National Park lagoons and Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge), where largest populations are found in freshwater systems in key protected areas within the Tortuguero Conservation Area. Its main threat is the transit of boats with engines that mobilize tourists on the Tortuguero canals, deforestation, poor research and contamination of waterways.
This law also declares manatee sanctuaries as places of absolute protection and income to these sites will be only for scientific purposes or for the control, inspection and monitoring by the relevant authorities.
The word “manatee” in the Caribbean Indian language, means “with breasts.” Its scientific name comes from the Latin word Trichechus, referring to the small hairs or bristles scattered over his body; and manatus comes from the Greek word μανάτος (manatus), which refers to the common characteristic of mammals nurse their breeding.
The Manatee or Sea Cow (Trichechus manatus) is a sirenio specie of the Trichechidae family living from the Gulf of Mexico to the mouth of the Amazon River. It is a big animal that has a fish-fin with a rounded terminal spatula-shaped appearance. Its skin is finely wrinkled, with five centimeters thick, usually covered by algae and small molluscs. The head widens and joins without any neck or shoulders or any part at the end of his body. Manatees have flexible forelegs and as an oar, or fins, which are used to help the scroll on the bottom, scratch, touch and even to embrace other manatees, to move food in and facilitate the cleaning of their mouths. They are gentle herbivores that spend most of their time searching for and ingesting coastal seabed and shallow water plants. Manatees live in both sweet and salty waters near the coast.
Like other manatees, is a species fully adapted to aquatic life. The distribution of fur on their body is weak, which prevents the accumulation of algae on their skin. Is about 3 meters long, and weighs between 400 and 600 kilograms, being females generally larger than males. Larger Manatees can weigh up to 1,500 kilograms and measure up to 4.6 meters. The skin color can vary from gray to brown. Their fins have 3 or 4 nails, used to keep the food when foraging.
Although females are usually solitary creatures, form mating herds while in estrus. Most females breeding successfully between the ages of seven and nine years, while capable of playing from the age of four. The gestation period is twelve to fourteen months. Usually gives birth to one baby, but rarely are born two. At birth, on average weighs 35 kg and measures 90 to 120 cm long and depends entirely on their mother, so she stays with it at least 2 years.
The males go around the female herds when ready to conceive, but not contribute to any parental brood care. Generally, females produce one breeding every 2-5 years. Therefore, manatees that survive to adulthood have an average of no more than play five to seven babies between the ages of 20 and 26. They can live up to 60 years in a wild environment, but their life expectancy is lower.
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