Details
Dugong dugon
The dugong is a large marine mammal that grazes seagrass in warm shallow seas. Its rounded body and downturned mouth are built for feeding along the bottom.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It inhabits Indian and Pacific coasts, shallow seas, seagrass beds, and reef lagoons. Sheltered bays with abundant seagrass are key feeding areas.
Length 240-300 cm; weight 230-400 kg. A spindle-shaped body, fluked tail, rounded head, and thick downturned muzzle are distinctive. The forelimbs are flippers and the body is greyish.
Cathemeral and loosely social, it is seen alone or in small aggregations. It swims slowly over seagrass beds and surfaces to breathe.
A herbivore, it feeds mainly on seagrasses. Flexible lips crop leaves and rhizomes, often leaving grazing trails on the bottom.
Females bear a single calf and nurse it for a long period. Calves stay close to mothers while learning seagrass feeding areas.
It is listed as Vulnerable. Seagrass loss, bycatch, boat strikes, and coastal development are major threats.
