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?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the order that includes manatees and dugongs?
Signup and view all the answers
What family do manatees belong to?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the genus of manatees?
Signup and view all the answers
Match the species of manatees to their scientific names:
Signup and view all the answers
Study Notes
Taxonomy of a Manatee
-
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.
-
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).
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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).
-
Genus Trichechus
- Represents the genus to which all manatee species belong.
-
Species
- Trichechus inunguis - Amazonian manatee.
- Trichechus manatus - West Indian manatee.
- Trichechus senegalensis - West African manatee.
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
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.