Hand-Raised Dugong
Recap-tured. - The male dugong calf hand-raised from a neonate (Sirenews No. 31, April 1999 and No. 33,
April 2000), and released into Moreton Bay in Queensland on March 12, 2002 (Sirenews No. 37, April 2002), was
recaptured in poor condition on November 9, 2002 and returned to Sea World (Australia)
after 8 months in the wild. At 145.5 kg, "the pig" - whose identity
was unequivocally confirmed only after capture - had lost 52.0 kg (26.3%) of
his release body weight, and had been severely beaten up by another, presumably
male, dugong.
He was recaptured in shallow
water in Days Gutter, along the south-western aspect of Moreton Island. This location was
approximately 5 km from his release site (as the crow flies), but a journey of
at least 10-15 km (as the pig swims) depending on whether he hugged the
contours of the sandbanks and/or took shortcuts through connecting gutters. It
was also within 2 km of where his PTT/VHF tag and tether harness had washed up,
decorated with shark teeth marks, on the southern-most tip of the island on the
third day after release.
The pig's recuperation is
proving to be a continuously challenging process. He proceeded to lose another
8.5 kg off his already frighteningly lean physique in the first four days after
return to Sea World. After erratic gains and losses, his weight was down to
136.0 kg by the end of the fifth week - a staggering 61.5 kg (31.1%) lighter
than his weight at release. When one considers the relatively greater
contribution of the heavy sirenian skeleton to total body weight compared to
that in terrestrial mammals, this probably represents an even more alarming
percentage of his soft tissue mass.
Since mid-December, however,
the pig has demonstrated a gradual improvement in health and body condition.
The combination of abundant salad vegetables, supplementary milk paste, various
medications, worming, restoration of intestinal bacteria, a heated pool, and
lots of TLC have seen his weight creep upwards, albeit somewhat erratically, to
a maximum of 156.0 kg in late February 2003.
While understandably
disap-pointed by his failure to thrive in the wild, we consider ourselves
extremely fortunate to have been able to recapture him in spite of the
premature detachment of his tracking device. Positive aspects of his attempted
release include his surviving for 8 months (through winter), avoiding predation
and boat strike, and apparently mastering the vagaries of tides and currents
(Days Gutter is an area of relatively heavy boat traffic and strong currents).
Any decisions about his
long-term future will continue to be made in consultation with the other key
stakeholders in this ongoing 4-year rescue and rehabilitation process, viz.,
the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and
the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
- Wendy Blanshard (Records/Special Projects Officer, Sea World, P.O.
Box 190, Surfers Paradise, Queensland 4217, Australia (tel.: +61-7-5588-2222;
fax: +61-7-5588-2266; e-mail: <wendyb@
seaworld.com.au>)
FLORIDA
Red Tide Blooms Killing Manatees. - Southwest Florida is experiencing the second-largest red tide-related
manatee die-off ever recorded. Since Feb. 27, 16 dead manatees have been
confirmed victims of red tide, and 44 more deaths were probably caused by red
tide, said Tom Pitchford, director of the state’s Marine Mammal Pathobiology
Laboratory in St.
Petersburg.
Five live manatees suffering from red tide poisoning have been rescued. Four
are at Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa;
one is at Sea World in Orlando.
Pitchford and his team
perform necropsies on virtually every manatee carcass found in the state. “We
suspect red tide in these animals because of circumstantial and gross
findings,” Pitchford said. “The circumstantial is that they all came from red
tide bloom areas. The gross findings are consistent with red tide poisoning:
swollen, congested kidneys, froth in the airways of the lungs, blood that
doesn’t coagulate when you cut into the animal, hemorrhaging in the eyes,
bloody froth in the nose. As we get tissues tested, we’ll move them from
suspect to confirmed.”
The largest red tide manatee
die-off ever recorded was in 1996, when 149 died between March 5 and April 27
in Southwest
Florida. After the 1996 die-off, scientists developed tests to determine
whether a dead manatee had been killed by red tide toxin — before that event,
no such test was available.
Last year, red tide killed
35 manatees; before 1996, the largest suspected red tide manatee die-off was in
1982, when 39 died over 11 weeks in Lee County. Because no test was
available, scientists based that conclusion on circumstantial and gross
evidence.
“We’ve essentially had an
event every year since 1996,” Pitchford said. “We undoubtedly had them before,
but they probably went unrecognized because of the small numbers involved and
the lack of a test.”
Scientists chalked the 1996
die-off up to a confluence of events. As area water started warming up,
manatees that had spent the winter in warm-water areas, such as the Florida
Power & Light power plant on the Orange River, began moving toward the
coast. At that time, a huge bloom of the organism that causes red tide, Karenia brevis, developed at the mouth
of the Caloosahatchee River. Many manatees swimming
through the bloom were poisoned and died — virtually all of the carcasses were
recovered in Lee County.
This year’s event is a
little different. Red tide has been in Southwest Florida waters for several months,
but not in the same high concentrations as 1996. Also unlike 1996, manatees
already had dispersed through the area — carcasses have been recovered from Sarasota to Marco Island — 29 from Lee County.
Some manatees have survived
the algae's toxin, which becomes airborne and causes respiratory irritation in
humans as well. Once away from the toxin produced by red tide, the manatees
usually recover, scientists said.
“Certainly we don’t know all
there is to know about manatees and the effects of red tide,” Pitchford said.
“One thing is painfully clear: When red tide is in manatee habitat, manatees
are going to die.” - Kevin Lollar (from The News-Press [Fort Myers, FL], April
17, 2003; supplemented from Associated Press State & Local Wire)
Status of Florida Manatee Downlisting
Proposal.
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has decided to re-visit
the manatee's listing status at its May 28-30 meeting in Kissimmee, Florida. (See <http://floridaconservation.org/whatsnew/
03/postcomm-apr03-st.html>.)
Staff at FWC's Florida
Marine Research Institute prepared a biological status review of the Florida manatee based on the state
of Florida's listing criteria. A preliminary report was
peer-reviewed and the report finalized last December. The report is available
on-line at <http://www.floridamarine.org/
features/view_article.asp?id=19173>. Based
on the state's listing criteria,* staff recommended that the manatee be down-listed
at the state level from endangered to threatened. The Commission heard the
report at its January 2003 meeting in Ft. Myers and decided to postpone
making a decision on the manatee's status in Florida. If the commissioners
decide to downlist the Florida manatee, a state management
plan will have to be developed prior to implementation of a change in status.
The state of Florida maintains an imperiled
species list separate from the federal endangered species list and a change at
the state level does not change the federal list. - Elsa M. Haubold, Ph.D., Research
Administrator II, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida
Marine Research Institute, 100 8th Ave. SE, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
(tel.: 727-896-8626 x1902; e-mail: <Elsa.Haubold@
fwc.state.fl.us>; <http://www.florida
marine.org>).
*[ED. NOTE: For a critique of the State of Florida's listing criteria, see Sirenews No. 38.]
O.J. Simpson Pays Fine. - O.J. Simpson has paid a
US$130 fine for speeding through a manatee
zone in a powerboat. Patricia Jones, Simpson's attorney, paid the fine on
Nov. 22. The former football star didn't
come to the courthouse. Simpson, 55, had been ticketed July 4 for creating a
wake in a manatee zone while driving
a 30-foot powerboat near downtown Miami (see Sirenews 38).
Judge Ana Maria Pando had
earlier issued a bench warrant for Simpson after he and his attorney both
missed a court hearing. The warrant meant Simpson could have been arrested if
stopped by police. The warrant was withdrawn hours later after Simpson's
primary attorney, Yale Galanter, explained he didn't attend because of a
scheduling mix-up.
Simpson was acquitted of
murder charges in the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife and her friend. A civil jury
later held Simpson liable for the killings and ordered him to pay the victims'
survivors US$33.5 million. He hasn't worked since. Any money he makes could be
seized to satisfy that judgment, which remains largely unpaid. He continues to
maintain his innocence in the killings.
- (Source: Associated Press
Online, Nov. 23, 2002)
Fate is Against Us. - A Florida psychic has bad news for
manatee lovers. Self-described "spiritual consultant" Tracy Crespo,
37, of Fort Myers, Florida, made the following prediction to reporter Denise
Scott:
Q: Will docks or manatees disappear?
A: Boat owners are going to
win over manatees. Money generally
rules. And with evolution, our animals are changing. In about five years,
manatees will be extinct. Destiny
wants them extinct. I'm not blaming the boat owners. - (Source:
The News-Press [Fort Myers, FL], Dec. 31, 2002)
SINGAPORE
Manatee Born in Singapore Zoo. - The Singapore News has reported that a 9 kg female manatee was born,
unassisted, in the Singapore Zoo on Tuesday,
11 March 2003. The Zoo is inviting visitors to suggest names for its newest arrival.
The Singapore Zoo started
with three adult manatees (T. m. manatus)
from Germany. Besides this latest
newborn, its current collection also includes a baby male manatee.
WEST AFRICA
New
Manatee Research and Conservation Program. - We are pleased to inform
you that a long-term research and conservation program on the West African
manatee will be undertaken in October 2003 (planned for a minimum of 3 years).
This program, part of a new-born French and international NGO (devoted to
education, research and conservation), will focus on 3 main objectives :
1. Study of the West African
manatee's distribution and repartition in the Niger Inner Delta (Mali) and adjacent countries (Senegal, Burkina Faso, Benin). – Intensive aerial and
boat surveys, radio-tracking, etc.
2. Study of the manatee's
biology - 3 years of field observations planned.
3. Population genetics studies
(species comparisons, genetic variability, population viability, etc.).
More details will be published and issued in October
2003 (NGO website, official research program, contact addresses, etc.). In the
meantime, we welcome contacts with other biologists, sirenologists and
research/conservation organizations. Contact Frederic G. Speyser at our temporary e-mail address: <t.senegalensis@netcourrier.com>.
ABSTRACTS
The following abstracts are of presentations at
the 10th
Reunion de Trabajo de Especialistas en Mamíferos Acuaticos de America del
Sur - RT and 4º Congresso SOLAMAQ, Valdívia,
Chile,
14-19 October 2002.
Anatomical and Histological
Characteristics of Female Reproductive Tract of Trichechus inunguis (Natterer, 1883) (Mammalia: Sirenia).
Fernanda Rosa Rodrigues & Vera Maria
Ferreira da Silva
Instituto
Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA); Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos –
LMA; Av. André Araújo,
2936; Petrópolis; Manaus-AM; Brasil.
The
Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis),
like other representatives of the Order Sirenia, is uniparous with possesses
slow reproduction, considering the interval between birth and long gestation
interval. Another aggravating factor to its population growth is that hunting
of the species continues, although prohibited by law. The reproductive tract’s
macroscopic and histological study, especially of the ovaries, supplies
important information about the life history and on the female’s reproductive
state. In this study, anatomical and histological descriptions of the female
reproductive tract and mammary glands were made for the first time for T. inunguis. Three specimens were
utilized, and the collected material was fixed in buffered formalin at 10%.
After the biometry and anatomic description, tissue samples of the female
reproductive apparatus were removed and prepared for histological sections.
Histochemistry and immunohistochemistry techniques were used. The results
revealed that the external genitalia, mainly the clitoris and the labia majora, present numerous nervous
ganglions and tactile sensitive corpuscles in the dermis, important for sexual
stimulation. The vaginal epithelium is columnar, mucus-secreting, varying from
simple to pseudostratified. In mammals in general, the epithelium is stratified
squamous non-glandular keratinised. This keratinization is related to the
degree of friction to which the epithelium is subjected. The hymen has two
vaginal openings, tied by a short segment, and it separates the vagina from the
vestibule. These openings, possibly, become a single opening during sexual
intercourse. The shortage of elastic fibers corroborates this hypothesis,
reducing the possibility of complacency of the hymen. In one of the specimens
in this study, whose endometrial glands didn't present maximum development, no
placental scars were observed in the uterus. In this same individual the
presence of hemorragic body and Graafian follicles in the right ovary, besides
corpora albicantia, was recorded, suggesting that T. inunguis goes through infertile cycles, in order to reach sexual
maturity, before the first gestation. Macroscopically, the cicatricial body
counts were difficult because of their small diameter. It is not possible to
differentiate the cicatricial bodies resulting from the follicles’ rupture
(corpora albicantia) from those of non-ruptured follicles. It was
histologically observed, through the technique of Picrosirius - modified for
confocal, that the cicatricial bodies can be differentiated among corpora
albicantia and those resulting from non-ruptured follicles by the variation of
the organization and density of the collagen fibers of these structures. The
presence of corpora albicantia in the
right and left ovaries of one of the specimens in this study suggests bilateral
function of the ovaries in T. inunguis. [Master's
Thesis in Aquatic Biology and Interior Fisheries, University of Amazonas/INPA, Manaus, Brazil, 2002. 114 pp.]
Phylogeography of Trichechus
inunguis (Natterer, 1883) (Mammalia: Sirenia) in Brazilian Amazon.
Andréa Martins Cantanhede1; Vera
Maria Ferreira da Silva1 & José A. Alves-Gomes2
1-Laboratório de
Mamíferos Aquáticos – LMA; Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA);
Av. André Araújo, 2936; Petrópolis; Manaus-AM; Brasil.
2-Laboratório
Temático de Biologia Molecular; Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia
(INPA); Av. André Araújo,
2936; Petrópolis; Manaus-AM; Brasil.
The Amazonian manatee is endemic to the Amazon River basin, occurring from Marajó Island (Brazil) up to the heads of that
river in Colombia, Peru and Equador. Historically,
this species has suffered from extensive hunting, resulting in reduced population.
The goal of this study was to estimate the genetic variability of this species,
verifying whether or not there was any association between the geographic
distribution and the genetic variation using the mitochondrial control region.
Sixty-eight individuals from six areas of the Amazon basin (Rios Negro, Japurá,
Solimões, Madeira, and Amazon in the State of Amazonas, and from Pará) were sampled.
A total of 364 base pairs were sequenced and 37 haplotypes were found. The
haplotype diversity was relatively high (h
= 0.909), despite the low nucleotide diversity Pi (JC) = 0.00836. This can be explained by the large number of
singletons (31) in the sample. The k values
(average number of nucleotide differences per sequence pair) and
Dxy values (average number of substitutions per site)
discriminate haplotypes from the Pará area, which are more variable compared to
the other areas. The AMOVA shows that 93.86% of the genetic variability is
explained by haplotype variation within the areas, and that the gene flow
estimate is high (migrants per generation, M,
varies from 3 to 13.133). The absence of geographic segregation demonstrated by
the phylogenetic analyses has strong implications for the species' conservation
in the wild. The Amazonian manatee population seems to be panmictic; therefore,
guidelines for future reintroduction programs of captive manatees will not be
limited by the origin area of the animal to be released. [Master's Thesis in Aquatic Biology and Interior Fisheries, University of Amazonas/INPA, Manaus, Brazil, 2002. 82 pp.]
The Apparent Period of Pregnancy in Amazonian Manatee (Trichechus inunguis) Females Kept in
Captivity, Based on Plasmatic Levels of Progesterone.
Claudia Carvalho do Nascimento1,
Cláudio Alvarenga de Oliveira1, Vera Maria Ferreira da Silva2,
Érika Cristiane Gutierrez Felippe1, José Anselmo d´Affonseca Neto.
1Laboratório de Dosagens Hormonais - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e
Zootecnia - Universidade de São Paulo (LDH-FMVZ-USP). Av Prof. Dr. Orlando
Marques de Paiva, 87. CEP 05508-000. Cidade Universitária - Butantã. SP/SP
Brasil. E-mail: claucn@hotmail.com
2 Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da
Amazônia. CP478 Manaus-AM Brasil CEP 69011-970. E-mail: tucuxi@inpa.gov.br
The Amazonian manatee is the only
sirenian which lives in the Amazon river basin. Few
studies about reproductive physiology of this species have been made. The aim
of our work is to evaluate the concentrations of plasmatic progesterone of two
females in captivity at the Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos – Instituto
Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (LMA-INPA), with the purpose of estimating
the pregnancy length of the species. So far, three pregnancies have been
registered in captivity (two from Boo, 27 years in captivity and one from
Tukano, 18 years in captivity). Blood samples from these females were taken at
irregular periods, between June 1998 and March 2002. Amounts of 1,5 ml were
frozen at -80°
in microtubes for analyses. The
hormone quantification was made by solid phase radioimmunoassay at the
Laboratório de Dosagens Hormonais – Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e
Zootecnia - Universidade de São Paulo (LDH-FMVZ-USP). Plasmatic
progesterone concentrations were undetectable before pregnancy (0,02ng/ml). In
the first month of pregnancy we found an increase of 6,7 ng/ml for Boo and 9,99
ng/ml for Tukano, followed by an increase in the second month of 10,37 ng/ml
and 13,58 ng/ml for Boo and Tukano, respectively. After this increase, amounts
of progesterone lessened until the time of parturition. Concentrations of
plasmatic progesterone remained high for an average of 334 days and were not
detectable after parturition. This period (11 months) was inferred as pregnancy
length. This length differs from the Florida
manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris),
which is approximately 12 to 14 months. This is the first estimation of the
pregnancy period of the Amazon manatee based on plasmatic levels of
progesterone.
The following abstract is of
a doctoral dissertation submitted to the Centro de Investigación Científica y
de Educación Superior de Ensenada, CICESE, Ensenada, BC, México, Dec. 2002.
Habitat factors that determine the distribution of Antillean manatees
(Trichechus manatus manatus) in the northern portion of Bahia de Chetumal, México. (187
pp.)
León David Olivera-Gómez.
The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus, Mammalia: Sirenia)
and the Antillean subspecies (Trichechus
m. manatus) are considered endangered by the Mexican and many international
environmental laws, for three main reasons: its reduced population size (a
result of the intensive hunting of this species since the arrival of Europeans
to the New World), the poor knowledge about many regional populations because
of their low densities and the difficulty of studying manatees in cryptic
habitats, and the human impact and modification of the rivers, estuaries and
coastal zone, where these mammals live. A large part of the studies about this
species referred to their general conservation and to the distribution of some
of their populations. In these studies, researchers indicated the need of
studying the principal characteristics of the habitat of the manatee. Those
studies had recognized some elements of the habitat, but few had explored
quantitatively the relationship of these characteristics with the use by the
manatees at a medium spatial scale. In this research, I accomplished a field
study to test the correlations between functional characteristics of the
habitat and the use by the manatee of small spatial units, of 0.02 km2,
within Bahia de Chetumal, located on the Caribbean coast
of Mexico. This
bay is a state natural protected area and a sanctuary for the manatee since
September 1996.
The habitat
characteristics evaluated were: distance to sources of freshwater, submerged
vegetation coverage, depth, slope of the bottom, shelter from wind and surf,
salinity and water temperature. I counted the manatees and sampled the habitat
characteristics concurrently, between November of 1998 and April of 2000. I registered
the location and the number of manatees through 17 aerial surveys with a light
aircraft, in four sampling periods along a series of fixed transects on the
northern coasts of the bays. Throughout these transects I established the study
units. I built surface maps with the data of the habitat characteristics, and
from these maps I assigned the corresponding values to each unit. I calculated
the frequency of occurrence of manatees inside each unit, and finally, I
calculated the Spearman’s correlation coefficients between each habitat
variable and the occurrence of manatees and between each pair of habitat
variables. I accomplished the same analysis for the data of the east and west
coasts separately. Furthermore, to observe the multivariate relationships among
habitat characteristics and manatee data, I carried out three types of
analysis: Poisson regression, logistics regression and discriminate functions
analysis. With the exception of the shelter from the wind and surf, all the
analyzed variables presented a significant correlation with the frequency of
occurrence of manatees. The global correlation was influenced by the data of
the west coast, since the manatee occurrence on the east coast presented
correlation only with the distance to freshwater sources. In the multivariate
approaches, the distance to the sources of freshwater and the depth were the
variables that contributed more to the models of regression and classification.
In this study, I confirmed the association of the habitat variables proposed to
explain the differential use of sites by the manatees at a small spatial scale.
My data emphasize the influence of the distance to freshwater sources on
habitat models.
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Pfretzschner, H.U. 2001.
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Abhandlungen 220(3): 417-429.
Pimentel, T.L. 2001. Order Sirenia (manatees, dugongs, sea
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(eds.), Biology, medicine, and surgery of
South American wild animals. Iowa
State
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Reep, R.L., M.L. Stoll, C.D. Marshall, B.L. Homer, and D.A.
Samuelson. 2001. Microanatomy of facial vibrissae in the Florida
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Romero, A., K.T. Hayford, A.
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Rommel,
S.A.,
and L.J. Lowenstine. 2001. Gross and microscopic anatomy. In: L.A.
Dierauf and F.M.D. Gulland (eds.), CRC
handbook of marine mammal medicine. Second edition. CRC Press, Boca
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SIRENIAN WEBSITE DIRECTORY
(NOTE: Not all of
these sites have been visited recently by your Editor, and some may no longer
be active, or their addresses may have changed.)
Belize
Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute's Manatee Research
Program: <http://www.coastalzonebelize.org/pr_manatee.html>
The Call of the Siren (Caryn
Self Sullivan): <http://www.sirenian.org/caryn.html>
Caribbean
Environment Programme, Regional Management Plan for the West Indian Manatee:
<http://www.cep.unep.org/pubs/techreports/tr35/ct35indx.htm>
Caribbean Stranding Network: <http://netdial.caribe.net/~mignucci/>
Columbus (Ohio)
Zoo manatee exhibit: <http://www.colszoo.org/animalareas/shores/
manatee_coast/index.html>
Dugongs: <http://home.t-online.de/home/rothauscher/dugong/dugong.htm>
Dugong
necropsy manual (available for downloading): <http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/
corp_site/info_services/publications/research_publications/rp64/index.html>
Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Bureau of Protected Species
Management: <http://www.floridaconservation.org/psm/>
Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission, Florida Marine Research Institute (Florida manatee
mortality data): <http://www.floridamarine.org/manatees/>
Friends of the Manatee Association, Manaus & Balbina, Brazil: <http://www.amigos dopeixe-boi.org.br/english/Ing_index2.htm>
[Includes a bibliography of INPA aquatic
mammal project publications and abstracts]
Fundación Salvemos al
Manatí de Costa Rica: <www.fundacionmanati.org>
Great Barrier Reef dugongs: <http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/
publications/dugong/index.html>
IBAMA
manatee project, Brazil: <www.projetopeixe-boi.com.br>
Jacksonville University (Florida)
Manatee Research Center Online: <www.ju.edu/juconnect/research/marco>
Manatee neuroanatomy: <http://www.neurophys.wisc.edu/Manatee/>
"Manatee
Watchers" Internet discussion list: <http://www.listbot.com/archive /MANATEE>
News
clippings on Florida manatees: <http://www.n-jcenter.com/menus/
enmanate.htm>
Philippines
Dugong Research and Conservation Project: <http://www.wwf-phil. com.ph>
Save the Manatee Club: <http://www.savethemanatee.org>
Sea World of Florida: <http://www.seaworld.org>
SEMARNAP,
Secretaria de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Pesca, Mexico: <http:www.semarnap.gob.mx/naturaleza/especies/manati/descrip.htm>
Sirenews
(texts of current and recent issues): <http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~smm/>;
<http://www.sirenian.org/>
(for archive of most older issues)
Sirenia Project, U.S. Geological Survey: <http://www.fcsc.usgs.gov/sirenia>
or <http:// www.nfrcg.gov/sirenia>
Sirenian
International, Inc.: <http://www.sirenian.org/> [Includes a bibliography of sirenian literature,
and an archive of Sirenews issues.]
Smithsonian
Institution sirenian bibliography: <http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/
nmnh/sirenia.htm> [This is a
relatively short bibliography, compiled by Joy Gold, that provides a very good
introduction to both the technical and the popular literature.]
Steller's sea cow: <
http://home.t-online.de/home/rothauscher/steller/steller.htm>; also the website [in Finnish] of Dr. Ari Lampinen,
University of
Jyvaskyla, Finland: <http://www.jyu.fi/~ala/ilmasto/steller.htm>
West African manatee in Chad (Jonathan H. Salkind): <http://members.aol.com/neebii/
manatee-index.html >
CHANGES OF ADDRESS
Dr. Kana Aketa, Japan Wildlife Research Center, Research Scientist, 3-10-10, Shitaya, Taito-Ku, Tokyo 110-8676, JAPAN (tel.: +81-3-5824-0966;
fax: +81-3-5824-0968; e-mail <kaketa@jwrc.or.jp>)
Dr. Robert L. Brownell, Jr.,
Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 1352 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove,
California 93950, USA (tel.: 1-831-648-5338; fax: 1-831-648-1754; e:mail: <robert.brownell@noaa.gov>)
Dr. Leon David Olivera Gomez, CIIDIR-Sinaloa, Instituto Politecnico
Nacional, Km. 1, carretera a Las Glorias, Guasave, Sinaloa, C.P. 81000, Mexico
(tel.: 687 8729626; fax: 687 8729625; e-mail: <leon_olivera@yahoo.com>)
John Twiss, Jr., 3418
Halfway Road, The Plains, Virginia 20198-1817, USA
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