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DUGONG translations: dugongo. Learn more in the Cambridge English-Spanish Dictionary.
- Tails
- Socialising
- Dugongs
- Offspring
- Mouth
- Manatees
- Habitat
- Nails
- Teeth
- Nostrils
Both creatures are related to the elephant, but evolution has played a part in redefining their tails to be more efficient underwater. One of the main physical differences between the dugong and manatee is the tail: Manatees have a horizontal, paddle-shaped tail with only one lobe to move up and down when the animal swims; it’s similar in appearanc...
With different characteristics, it appears that manatees are the more outgoing out of the two. Both are solitary creatures, but manatees are devout polygamists – having up to several female partners. Dugongs, however, stick to just the one, which they live with for life.
Scientific name: Dugong dugon Diet: Herbivore Average lifespan: 70 years Size: 2.4 – 3 metres Weight: 230 – 500 kilograms Dugongs are large marine mammals that are found near coasts around the Pacific and Africa. They spend most of their lives grazing on underwater grasses, rooting for them with their bristled, sensitive snout which acts as a sub-a...
Female manatees usually give birth at three years and continue to do so every two to three years. Their gestation period is 12 months. Female dugongs differ in that they usually give birth at 10 years and only every three to five years after that. This is mainly due to their long lifespan and slow rate of reproduction.
Dugongs have short, broad, downward facing trunk-like snouts that are horseshoe-shaped with a slit-like mouth. The snout ends with a cleft, a muscular lip that aids the dugong in its foraging for seagrass – because of this it is a strictly bottom-dwelling feeder. Manatees have a divided upper lip and a shorter snout, which means that they are able ...
Scientific name: Genus Trichechus Diet: Herbivore Average lifespan: 40 years Size: 2.4 to 4 metres Weight: 200 to 600 kilograms Manatees are voracious herbivores found throughout the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and Africa. Their diet consists mostly of plants like mangroves, turtle grass and some algae. Despite their massive bulk, they are gracef...
Manatees inhabit the marshy areas of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico (West Indian manatee, Trichechus manatus), the Amazon Basin (Amazonian manatee, Trichechus inunguis) and West Africa (West African manatee, Trichechus senegalensis). Dugongs spend their entire life in shallow, protected areas such as bays and mangrove swamps as well as the wa...
West Indian and West African manatees have fingernails – albeit very basic ones – on their forelimbs. But Amazonian manatees and dugongs do not have any nails.
Mature male dugongs have a pair of tusk-like incisors and manatees do not. In fact manatees have no incisors, only molars which are continuously replaced. The teeth of manatees move forward like a conveyor belt: As the tooth comes forward from the back, another tooth then takes its place.
A dugong’s nostrils are further back on its head than they are on a manatee. Both are specially designed for being submerged in water. For the dugongs their nostrils act like valve openings on top of their heads, which open when they breach for air, and close when underwater.
Dugongs are found in the shallow protected areas. Dugongs are strictly marine mammals, unlike manatees that can be found in fresh waters. In spite of the similar appearance, dugongs and manatees have many physical differences. Manatees are a little bigger than dugongs. Also, manatees have paddle-shaped tails that are long and horizontal.
- Dugongs Are Also Called Sea Cows. Dugongs have very muscular cleft upper lips that stick out over their mouths. These bristled and ultra-sensitive snouts are very strong and allow dugongs to root around the ocean floor and grab seagrass.
- They are Closely Related to Elephants. There were once other Dugongidae species like dugongs in the oceans, like the Steller’s sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas).
- You Can Guess a Dugong’s Age by Looking at the Rings on Its Tusks. The tusks of a dugong are actually just two elongated front teeth. These stick out from their mouths and have sharp, angled edges.
- Dugongs Can Live for a Very Long Time. When dugong babies are born, they are only around 3 or 4 feet long and weigh 44 to 77 pounds. That may not seem all that small, but a fully grown dugong can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh over 1,000 pounds!
The dugong lacks nails on its flippers, which are only 15% of a dugong's body length. [19] The tail has deep notches. [23] A dugong's brain weighs a maximum of 300 g (11 oz), about 0.1% of the animal's body weight. [19] With very small eyes, [24] dugongs have limited vision, but
Apr 29, 2021 · Whilst manatees rely on freshwater, dugongs stick to the sea. Manatees have paddle shaped tails, but dugongs have streamlined tail fins like dolphins – making them better sea swimmers. Because of their slow speed, and how slowly they reproduce, dugongs are more vulnerable to changes in their environment.
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Nov 15, 2024 · Dugongs range in length from about 2.2 to 3.4 metres (7 to 11 feet) and weigh 230 to 420 kg (500 to 925 pounds). As with whales and dolphins, the dugong has a tapered body that ends in a deeply notched tail, or fluke. The forelimbs are rounded flippers lacking nails; there are no hind limbs nor any discernible neck. The snout is broad and bristled.
