strategy of this species.
The cause of the acyclic hormonal pattern observed
in female Ti-060 is unknown, as this female demonstrated
a cyclic pattern in the previous year. Larkin
(2000) and Horikoshi (2004) also observed acyclic patterns
in some of the individual Florida manatees studied.
According to these authors, environmental influences,
such as a lack of social interaction, may have caused
the irregularity or absence of estrous cycles among
the Florida manatees analyzed. Another important point
is the relationship between stress and reproduction.
The inhibitory effects of stress on reproductive functions
are widely known; however, the mechanisms of
interaction between the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal