Yuma, a North American manatee, was born in our manatee pool in 2001. She turned 20 in October!

 

Info on Yuma

 

＜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.
Yuma was the second successful captive birth in Japan. The baby manatee born here this June is the third successful captive birth. We are the only place in Japan to successfully breed manatees.

Yuma in 2001

≪Yuma≫

Date of birth: October 13th, 2001 at 23:20
（At time of birth: Approximate length 115 cm  Approximate weight: 28 kg）
Gender：female
Body length：303 cm
Weight：707 kg　（In September 2021）
The name Yuma was proposed by the public. The name was made by combining the first two letters of her father’s name “Yukatan” and her mother’s name “Maya”.

 

Yuma is female. She was born on October 13th, 2001, in the Manatee Pool. Yuma is the first offspring of Maya. Maya was a gift to the aquarium from the Mexican government. Yuma holds the record for the longest-reared captive-bred manatee in Japan.
For 20 years, Yuma has thrived and has a healthy appetite. She has a loveable personality which relaxes visitors who see her. We look forward to her having her own offspring in the future.

Through breeding and research of American manatees, the Okinawa Churashima Foundation, which manages and operates the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, will continue to contribute to the conservation of wild manatees by accumulating valuable data on a growing manatee’s length, weight, and blood values.