Sirenian (manatees and dugongs) reproductive endocrinology.

Reproductive hormones are essential to mating systems, behavior, fertility, gestation, parturition, and lactation in mammals and understanding the role of hormones in these processes is essential for species conservation. Sirenia is a unique order of marine mammals that include manatees, dugongs, and the extinct Steller's sea cow. Extant Sirenian species are all listed as vulnerable due to habitat loss, cold stress, boat strike trauma, harmful algal bloom toxicity, entanglements, and illegal hunting.

Morphometric and structural analysis of Florida manatee spermatozoa.

Sperm characteristics, such as sperm morphology and sperm morphometry are important in assessing sperm quality. This is especially important for the management and conservation of endangered and exotic species, like the Florida manatee, where information of this nature is extremely limited. In this study, we fill this knowledge gap to better understand the reproductive physiology of Florida manatees by conducting the first extensive analysis of sperm morphometry and ultrastructure.

Manual Collection and Semen Characterization in a West Indian Manatee ().

Limited information is available regarding male reproductive physiology in West Indian manatees (). Currently, only basic ultrastructural and morphometric descriptions of the spermatozoon exist; however, there are no reports evaluating any seminal characteristics in this species. Therefore, the aim of the study was to fill current gaps in knowledge regarding semen parameters in West Indian manatees by collecting and characterizing multiple ejaculate samples from a single, adult West Indian manatee.

Diagnostic stages of the parasites of the Florida manatee, Trichechus manatus latirostris.

Limited information is available on diagnostic stages of parasites in Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris). We examined 67 fecal samples from captive and wild manatees to define the diagnostic stages of the parasite fauna known to occur in Florida manatees. Parasite eggs were freshly extracted ex utero from identified mature helminths and subsequently characterized, illustrated, and matched to those isolated from fecal samples.