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Sirenia Navigation

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior

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Synonyms

Dugong; Manatee; Migration; Movement; Movement patterns; Range; Trichechus

Definition

The behaviors of members of order Sirenia that allow them to interpret, move, and survive in their environment.

Introduction

Species in order Sirenia are the only fully aquatic, herbivorous marine mammals. This order is comprised of sea cows, the extant species being the dugong (Dugong dugon) and three species of manatee (genus Trichechus). All species of dugongs and manatees are currently listed as vulnerable with a declining population trend. Sirenia inhabit coastal wetlands, coastal marine waters, rivers, freshwater lakes, and estuaries. They feed on sea grass and other bottom-dwelling marine vegetation. These sea creatures navigate throughout their home ranges to find food, seek mates, and escape predators. Species in temperate climates migrate long distances towards warm waters during winter.

Navigation is the capability of assessing position and being able to move in a specific route...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA

    Murry Burgess & Kristine O. Evans

Authors
  1. Murry Burgess
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  2. Kristine O. Evans
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kristine O. Evans .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University , Rochester, MI, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University Department of Psychology, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, Gulfport, MS, USA

    Mystera M. Samuelson

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Burgess, M., Evans, K.O. (2019). Sirenia Navigation. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1332-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1332-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

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