Questions and Answers
What is the kingdom that includes all animals?
What phylum do chordates belong to?
Chordata
What class do mammals belong to?
Mammalia
What infraclass includes animals with a placenta?
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What is the order that includes manatees and dugongs?
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What family do manatees belong to?
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What is the genus of manatees?
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Match the species of manatees to their scientific names:
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Study Notes
Taxonomy of a Manatee
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Kingdom Animalia
- Comprises multicellular, eukaryotic organisms that are motile at some stage of their life.
- All animals are heterotrophs, requiring the ingestion of other organisms or their products for energy.
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Phylum Chordata
- Characterized by the presence of a notochord, hollow dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, endostyle, and post-anal tail during some part of their lifecycle.
- Includes subphyla Vertebrata (mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds) and non-vertebrates such as Tunicata (salps, sea squirts) and Cephalochordata (lancelets).
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Class Mammalia
- Defined by features such as hair, mammary glands, three middle ear bones, and a neocortex region in the brain.
- Mammals maintain a regulated body temperature and a circulatory system with a four-chambered heart.
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Infraclass Eutheria
- Distinguished by specific traits in feet, jaws, and teeth compared to non-eutherians (marsupials and monotremes).
- Eutherians lack epipubic bones, facilitating abdominal expansion during pregnancy.
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Order Sirenia
- Encompasses fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals known as sea cows, found in various water environments.
- Contains four living species in two families: the dugong and three species of manatees, with the order evolving over 50 million years ago.
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Family Trichechidae
- Consists of large, herbivorous marine mammals known as manatees.
- Three recognized living species: Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis), West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), and West African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis).
- Manatees can grow up to 4.0 meters (13.1 ft) and weigh as much as 590 kilograms (1,300 lb).
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Genus Trichechus
- Represents the genus to which all manatee species belong.
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Species
- Trichechus inunguis - Amazonian manatee.
- Trichechus manatus - West Indian manatee.
- Trichechus senegalensis - West African manatee.
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Description
Explore the classification system of manatees through these flashcards. Learn about different taxonomic levels, including Kingdom Animalia, and understand the characteristics that define animals as a whole. Perfect for students of biology and marine life enthusiasts.
