page_title: List of mammals of Florida
section_title: Carnivora and Sirenia
hierarchical_section_title: List of mammals of Florida / Marine mammals / Carnivora and Sirenia
context_page_description: This is a list of mammal species found in the wild in the American state of Florida. Ninety-nine species of mammals are known to inhabit, or have recently inhabited, the state and its surrounding waters. This includes a few species, such as the black-tailed jackrabbit and red deer, that were introduced after the arrival of Europeans. It also includes the extinct Caribbean monk seal. Rodents account for roughly one quarter of all species, followed closely by mammals from the families Cetacea and Carnivora.
  The species included in this list are drawn from the work of the American Society of Mammalogists, which compiled information from five different publications. Information on the international conservation status of species has been drawn from the IUCN Red List.
context_section_description: Trichechus manatus latirostris is one of the two subspecies of the West Indian manatee. This herbivorous aquatic mammal lives in rivers, springs and shallow coastal waters. It was designated the state marine mammal in 1975 and is protected by federal and state laws. Threatened by habitat loss, entanglements in fishing gear and crab traps, or by being asphyxiated or crushed by canal locks and flood gates, the most common cause for manatee deaths is being struck by boats, which caused one quarter of all deaths recorded since 1974. In 2015, the statewide population was estimated at 6,063.
  Florida does not have seal colonies, but stray seals come ashore in Florida occasionally. The most prevalent of those have been the common seal and the hooded seal, although a bearded seal was seen in 2007. The Caribbean monk seal was native to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Once a popular prey for Bahamas fishermen, their numbers diminished greatly in the 1800s. The last sighting of the species in Florida was in 1922, and specimens have not been seen anywhere since 1952.
caption: West Indian manatee
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