page_title: List of mammals of Central America
section_title: Order: Sirenia (manatees and dugongs)
hierarchical_section_title: List of mammals of Central America / Subclass: Theria / Infraclass: Eutheria / Superorder Afrotheria / Order: Sirenia (manatees and dugongs)
caption_attribution_description: English: Cyclopes didactylus; crop of image Silky Anteater.jpg
context_page_description: This is a list of the native wild mammal species recorded in Central America. Central America is usually defined as the southernmost extension of North America; however, from a biological standpoint it is useful to view it as a separate region of the Americas. Central America is distinct from the remainder of North America in being a tropical region, part of the Neotropical realm, whose flora and fauna display a strong South American influence. The rest of North America is mostly subtropical or temperate, belongs to the Nearctic realm, and has far fewer species of South American origin.
  At present Central America bridges North and South America, facilitating migrations in both directions, but this phenomenon is relatively recent from a geological perspective. The formation of this land bridge through volcanic activity three million years ago precipitated the Great American Interchange, an important biogeographical event. In part because of this history, Central America is extremely biodiverse; it comprises most of the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot.
context_section_description: Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands. All four extant species are endangered. They evolved about 50 million years ago, and their closest living relatives are elephants. The manatees are the only extant afrotherians in the Americas. However, a number proboscid species, some of which survived until the arrival of Paleoindians, once inhabited the region. Mammoths, mastodons and gomphotheres all reached Central America.
  Family: Trichechidae
  Genus: Trichechus
  West Indian manatee, Trichechus manatus VU
caption: Silky anteater
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