Behavior during weaning of Amazonian manatee “Trichechus inunguis” (Natterer, 1883) in captivity

SUMMARY The Amazonian manatee Trichechus inunguis (Natterer, 1883) is a species that was widely exploited by hunting, one of the most hunted aquatic mammals in the twentieth century. Currently its hunting is prohibited. However, the regulations do not prevent young specimens, for various reasons, beached and require care in captivity for rehabilitation of this species. The Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) maintained a base of the Center for Research and Conservation of Aquatic Mammals Management (CMA) installed on the campus of the Federal Rural University of Amazonia (UFRA) with enclosures for rehabilitation of the Amazonian manatees. As some small animals arrive in breastfeeding, as they grow, are submitted to weaning that in the screen in captivity occurred in thirty days. The seven examples of behavior of this species has been the subject of this study, comparing the behavior of some performance standards before (nursing), during (weaning) and after (herbivory) of weaning. The results of the variance analysis indicate, among other behaviors, significant difference to the behavior of the execution frequencies related to food by the statistical test of Kruskal-Wallis test (p value <0.0001) having behavioral response of animals to decrease the supply of nutrients provided by breastfeeding. With the same statistical test, a behavior that has been classified as a stereotype captivity (moving in circles) was decreasing as the animal leaves the breastfeeding to herbivory (p <0.0023).