Reproduction
One cannot tell the sex of an individual African manatee without closely examining the manatee's underside. The only visible distinctions between males and females are the genital openings. However, males tend to be smaller than females. Some female African manatees are sexually mature as young as three years of age, and they give birth every three to five years of their estimated 30-year life span. Males take a much longer time to mature, about 9 to 10 years. Rarely will a male African manatee be able to fertilise an egg at two or thre years old. African manatees breed at all times of the year. When males and females mate, it is not for life; multiple males will usually mate with one female. Males fight with each other by pushing and shoving when the opportunity to mate with a female is at stake. Female African manatees give birth to one calf at a time after being pregnant for about 13 months, and calves can swim on their own at birth. Although the African manatee's social organisation is not well known, research has shown the most common and tightly knit bonds are between a mother and her calf.
Read more about this topic: African Manatee
Famous quotes containing the word reproduction:
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