Anomotherium (SciiFii)

The European sea cow (Anomotherium europeanensis), also known as the European dugong and the European manatee, is a species of dugong-like manatee that originally lived in the shallow seas of what is now northern Germany during the Oligocene as an extinct species, Anomotherium langewieschei, and the genus itself was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced throughout the Mediterranean Sea to help boost biodiversity. The European sea cow can measure up to 4.5 meters (15 feet) in length, and weigh about 360 kilograms (790 pounds). European sea cows are typically extremely slow, moving between 4.8 km and 8.0 km (3 and 5 mi) per hour, although when scared by predators they can travel at speeds of about 32 km (20 mi) per hour. Unlike other members of the manatee family, the European sea cow has a whale-like fin, similarly to dugongs. European sea cows are herbivorous; feeding almost exclusively on seagrasses, brown algae, and kelp, however, they also eat clams, mollusks, and fish found in nets, but they only feed on them as supplements and are not normal food sources. The European sea cow's large forelimbs, or flippers, are used to paddle and to bring food to its mouth. Vegetation is then chewed by the European sea cow's strong molars, which are its only teeth. When the European sea cow is born, each jaw has two vestigial incisors, which the manatee loses as it matures. If the European sea cow's molars happen to fall out, new molars grow in their place. The European sea cow's flippers, which have nails, are also used to graze on the plants growing on other European sea cows. The European sea cow, like other modern-styled sirenians, does not have any hind limbs. The European sea cow is nocturnal. They tend to travel silently, eat, and be active towards the end of the day and during the nighttime. During the daytime, the European sea cow dozes in shallow (1 to 2 meter deep) water. In countries such as Spain and France, European sea cows migrate upstream when flooding occurs in June and July. This flooding can lower the availability of food for the manatees as well as lower the salinity of waterways. European sea cows live in groups of 1 to 6. They have very few natural predators, two of which are sharks and crocodyliformes. They are also very social, spending a majority of their day bonding by touch, verbal communication, and smell. This creates a deep bond between them. When it is time to migrate due to a weather change, manatees will travel in larger groups to find warmer water and food. The gender of an individual European sea cow can only be determined by close examination of the European sea cow's underside. The only visible distinction between males and females is the genital openings. However, males tend to be smaller than females. Some female European sea cows are sexually mature as young as 3 years of age, and they give birth every 3 to 5 years of their estimated 30-year lifespan. Males take a longer time to mature (about 9 to 10 years) and can rarely fertilize an egg at the age of 2 or 3 years. European sea cows breed year-round. When males and females mate, it is not monogamous; multiple males will usually mate with one female. When the opportunity to mate with a female is at stake, males will fight with each other by pushing and shoving. Female European sea cows give birth to one calf at a time after about a 13-month pregnancy. Calves can swim on their own at birth. The most common and tightly knit bonds in the European sea cow's social organization are between a mother and her calf. The conservation status of the European sea cow is Vulnerable due to some habitat loss and historic poaching, however, thanks to the conservationists, the European sea cow is a protected species and is making a comeback.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii