The birth of a male baby manatee!

Maya the manatee has given birth to a male baby manatee. It is her second calf to be born at the Manatee Pool of Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium.

≪Maya’s birth≫

Early in the morning on June 16th, 2021, a healthy male manatee was born. Labor began before dawn, and the baby was born at 7:33 am. The newborn calf is a male, 123 cm in length, and weight 34 kg. It began to drink milk on the third day after birth, and it continues to grow while drinking its mother’s milk. Maya, the mother, gave birth to Yuma in 2001. Yuma will turn 20 years old this October. Ryu is the father of the baby manatee. This was the first birth of a manatee at the aquarium in 20 years.

≪American manatee≫

West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus)
The manatee is a herbivorous mammal that inhabits rivers, lakes, and ocean in the Atlantic region. It is a rare species classified as CITES Appendix I (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). The first successful breeding in Japan took place at our aquarium in 1990. The second birth in Japan was Yuma in 2001. Yuma holds the longest rearing record in Japan. The recent birth is the third successful delivery in Japan.

Currently, the Manatee Pool is temporarily closed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. However, you can see the baby manatee’s growth on Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium’s official YouTube channel, Facebook, and Instagram.

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium will report the process of the successful birth in scientific journals, and will continue to contribute to the conservation of manatees in the wild through breeding and studying the manatees.