Necropsy and microscopic examinations of 16 West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) revealed that the mortality of many of the animals was associated with environmental factors such as human-inflicted trauma and cold winters. Natural disease processes accounted for the death of only 1 manatee. In 3 manatees, the cause of death could not be determined.
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Buergelt et al. (1984) studied this question.