The Center´s Sirenia Project conducts long-term, detailed studies on the life history, population dynamics, and ecological requirements of the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus). Sirenia Project biologists work cooperatively with federal and state researchers and managers on research identified as essential for the recovery of the species.

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Manatee Population Ecology and Management Workshop Proceedings. April 2002. Edited by Lynn W. Lefebvre, John E. Reynolds, III, Timothy J. Ragen, Catherine A. Langtimm, and James A. Valade.

Fact Sheet 2009-3002 Langtimm, C.A., Swain, E.D., Stith, B.M., and others, 2009, Integrated Science: Florida Manatees and Everglades Hydrology: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2009-3002, 4 p.

USGS Manatee Captures and Health Assessment Research being conducted by FISC biologists in Crystal River, Florida.  Manatee Captures and Health Assessment Handout

Team Manatee: A Community Working Together to Assess and Protect Manatee Health and Habitat (Sound Waves, March 2009)

Stith, B.M., D.H. Slone, and J.P. Reid, 2006, Review and Synthesis of Manatee Data in Everglades National Park. USGS Administrative Report. USGS Florida Integrated Science Center, Gainesville, FL. 126 pp. <Stith et al ENP Manatee Administrative Report.pdf 7.4 mb>

USGS Research and the FWS Review for Listing the Manatee. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing recommendations for listing the Florida manatee under the Endangered Species Act. A threat assessment model was developed by USGS at the request of USFWS as a decision-support tool for the listing review process. Documents pertaining to the recommendation and the USGS science are now available on-line. Learn More

Reep, R.L. and R.K. Bonde. 2006. The Florida Manatee: Biology and Conservation. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. xvi + 189 pp.

Reep is a neuroscientist and professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida; Bonde is a biologist with the US Geological Survey Sirenia Project. Reep and Bonde engage the reader with a tale of manatees that weaves facts and real life scenarios to explain what science has learned from the Florida manatee. Spanning from microorganisms that cause manatee die-offs during red-tide blooms, to complex long-range migrations; the authors discuss the range of issues that are affect manatee survival.  Their complex biology, landmark legislation of the 1970s, and the resulting biopolitics of where science and wildlife management intersect are all vital aspects of the ongoing story of the manatee.

Genetic Modeling of Manatee Populations: Although progress has been made in the protection of manatees against threats from human activities, many populations continue to exhibit limited growth or decline, and so the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) remains an endangered species. Visible threats, such as fatal propeller wounds and habitat depletion, are not the only causes for concern when it comes to protecting the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), a subspecies of the West Indian manatee. Scientists have determined that animals of this subspecies face the additional threat of low genetic diversity, a trait that could make them more susceptible to diseases and more sensitive to climate changes. Learn More

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  Hurricanes and Florida Manatees
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  USGS Manatee Population Research - 2004
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