Vocalizations of wild West Indian manatee vary across subspecies and geographic location.

Geographic variation in the vocal behavior of manatees has been reported but is largely unexplored. Vocalizations of wild West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) were recorded with hydrophones in Florida from Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris), and in Belize and Panama from Antillean manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus) to determine if calls varied between subspecies and geographic regions. Calls were visually classified into five categories: squeaks, high squeaks, squeals, squeak-squeals, and chirps.

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

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.

Genetic structure of Mexican lionfish populations in the southwest Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

The recent expansion of the invasive lionfish throughout the Western Hemisphere is one of the most extensively studied aquatic invasions. Molecular studies have improved our understanding of larval dispersal, connectivity, and biogeographical barriers among lionfish populations, but none have included Mexican localities, an important area for the larval dispersal of Pterois volitans through the Western Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Here, we present a genetic analysis of lionfishes collected along Mexican coasts, examining their connectivity with other Caribbean localities (Belize, Cuba, Puerto Rico) and the role of ocean currents on population structure.

Lobomycosis-like disease in common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from Belize and Mexico: bridging the gap between the Americas.

Lobomycosis and lobomycosis-like diseases (LLD) (also: paracoccidioidomycosis) are chronic cutaneous infections that affect Delphinidae in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. In the Americas, these diseases have been relatively well-described, but gaps still exist in our understanding of their distribution across the continent. Here we report on LLD affecting inshore bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from the Caribbean waters of Belize and from the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean off the southwestern coast of Mexico.