Search results
yarn.com.au
- The dugong is the only sirenian in its range, which spans the waters of some 40 countries and territories throughout the Indo-West Pacific.
The dugong (/ ˈd (j) uːɡɒŋ /; Dugong dugon) is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees.
The dugong is the only sirenian in its range, which spans the waters of some 40 countries and territories throughout the Indo-West Pacific. The dugong has been hunted for thousands of years for its meat and oil.
6 days ago · Dugongs are usually observed singly or as pairs, and sightings of dugongs by early seafarers are believed to have given rise to the mythology of mermaids and Sirens. Herds of 100–200 dugongs, however, are sometimes seen, 450 being the maximum recorded.
The extant Sirenia comprise two distinct families: Dugongidae (the dugong and the now extinct Steller's sea cow) and Trichechidae (manatees, namely the Amazonian manatee, West Indian manatee, and West African manatee) with a total of four species. [2]
Dugongs are related to manatees and are similar in appearance and behavior— though the dugong's tail is fluked like a whale's.
Dugongs are exclusively marine, but manatees inhabit both marine and freshwater systems. Sirenian populations are easily depleted by activities of people, often falling victim to hunting, drowning in nets, collisions with boats, and habitat degradation.
Unlike the closely related manatees, the dugong never enters freshwater and is therefore the only exclusively herbivorous marine mammal. Learn more about dugongs.
