The Sirenia (/ saɪˈriːni.ə /), commonly referred to as sea cows or sirenians, are an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit swamps, rivers, estuaries, marine wetlands, and coastal marine waters.

Dec 24, 2024 · sirenian, (order Sirenia), any of four large aquatic mammalian species now living primarily in tropical waters where food plants grow. The three species of manatee (genus Trichechus) occupy warm latitudes of the coastal Atlantic and associated rivers, and the dugong (Dugong dugon) inhabits the coastlines of the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Dugongs are part of the Sirenia order of placental mammals which comprises modern "sea cows" (manatees as well as dugongs) and their extinct relatives. Sirenia are the only extant herbivorous marine mammals and the only group of herbivorous mammals to …

Jan 17, 2025 · Sirenians, also called sea cows, are peaceful aquatic mammals that constitute the order Sirenia, which includes dugongs and manatees. They are primarily found in warm, shallow coastal waters, rivers, and estuaries of the Caribbean, West Africa, and parts of the Americas.

Jan 4, 2021 · The Dugongidae (the dugong and, the now extinct Steller’s sea cow) and Trichechidae (manatees; namely the Amazonian manatee, West Indian manatee, and West African manatee) families make up the Sirenia order. …

Sirenia is a small order, composed of just two extant families, Dugongidae and Trichechidae, with four current species. Family Trichechidae includes three species: West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus), African manatees (Trichechus senegalensis), and Amazonian manatees (Trichechus inunguis).

Jul 28, 2019 · Sirenians (Sirenia), also known as sea cows, are a group of mammals that includes dugongs and manatees. There are four species of sirenians alive today, three species of manatees and one species of dugong.

The sirenians are the only entirely aquatic, herbivorous marine mammals, making them unusual among mammals and marine mammals. Their whole life cycle, like that of the cetaceans, takes place in the water. They may have been mistaken for mermaids by early explorers.

The Sirenia, commonly referred to as sea-cows or sirenians, are an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit swamps, rivers, estuaries, marine wetlands, and coastal marine waters.

The sirenians are unique among mammals and marine mammals in that they are the only fully aquatic, herbivorous marine mammals. Their complete life cycle occurs in the water as do the life cycles of the cetaceans. Early explorers may have mistaken them for mermaids.