noun
ZoologyA large aquatic plant-eating mammal of the order Sirenia, such as a manatee or dugong.
‘The remaining sirenians, are seriously threatened by hunting, habitat degradation, and in the case of manatees, collisions with boats in the shallow coastal areas they prefer.’- ‘Modern sirenians are large, docile, aquatic herbivores.’
- ‘To understand isotopic variation in Florida sirenians, we selected four teeth for serial sampling.’
- ‘All living sirenians are found in warm tropical and subtropical waters.’
adjective
ZoologyRelating to or denoting sirenians.
‘This may have supported a strong, fleshy lip with which Thalassocnus grazed seagrass or kelp, much like manatees and their sirenian relatives.’- ‘The hyrax - elephant - sirenian core is well-accepted on morphological grounds.’
- ‘Corystosiren is a late-surviving dugong at a time when sirenian fossils are exceedingly rare in Florida.’
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