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The dugong is an aquatic mammal with thick, tough, and smooth skin. The skin color of newborn dugongs is pale cream, darkening as they age, becoming deep slate gray on the sides and dorsum. The body of the dugong is sparsely covered with hair, and the muzzle exhibits bristles.
- Dugong Facts: Introduction
- Dugong Facts: How Big Is A Dugong?
- Dugong Habitat
- What Do Dugongs Eat?
- Dugong Families
- Dugong Threats – Are Dugongs Endangered?
- Dugong Facts
- Discover More with Active Wild
Dugongs are closely related to manatees, and are commonly known as ‘sea cows’ due to their peaceful grazing nature. Dugongs have dull grey, torpedo-shaped bodies with paddle-like forelimbs, and a fluked tail like a dolphin. Mature males have tusks. Dugongs lack dorsal fins and hind limbs. Dugongs are notoriously shy and do not approach humans, whic...
Dugongs can be as big as 10 feet (3 meters) long and can weigh a whopping 1000 pounds (499 kilograms)! Baby Dugongs can be up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) long and weight up to 66 pounds (30 kilograms).
Dugongs can be found in coastal waters from the western Pacific Ocean to the eastern coast of Africa. Dugongs are strictly marine mammals, unlike manatees which require freshwater phases during their life cycle. Dugongs are highly dependent upon seagrass habitat for feeding, restricting its range to coastal regions where seagrass meadows can be fou...
The name ‘sea cows’ comes from the fact that Dugongs love to feast on seagrass. Dugongs have powerful downturned, bristled, sensitive snouts which allows them to feed in the seagrass, kind of like a vacuum cleaner. When seagrass is scarce they may eat algae and sometimes even invertebrates like jellyfish, sea squirts and shellfish. Feeding tend to ...
Dugongs become mature between 8 and 18 years of age. When males are mature, tusks will become visible. Females will only give birth a few times throughout their lives and provide extended parental care to their babies. It takes 13 to 15 months for a female to produce a single baby (a calf), and there may be as long as 3 to 7 years between pregnanci...
Although commercial hunting of Dugongs has been banned, Dugongs are still listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss through coastal development as well as water pollution caused by industrial activities. Dugongs can also fall victim to bycatch, getting tangled in fishing nets. Good quality seagrass habitat is vital to Dugong rep...
Dugongs can live for 70 years or more.Dugongs are more closely related to elephants than to other marine mammals.The colour of a Dugong can change due to growth of algae on the skin.Dugongs will sometimes ‘stand’ on their tails with their heads out of the waterWe hope that you have enjoyed reading about these amazing dugong facts. You can discover more amazing Australian animals on this page: Australian Animals List with Pictures & Facts
The dugong is easily distinguishable from the manatees by its fluked, dolphin-like tail; moreover, it possesses a unique skull and teeth. Its snout is sharply downturned, an adaptation for feeding in benthic seagrass communities.
6 days ago · 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.
May 27, 2024 · They are powered through the water by moving their dolphin-like fluked tails up and down, while their paddle-like front flippers help them steer and maneuver. They lack both hind limbs and a dorsal fin.
- Female
- April 22, 1960
Dugongs are related to manatees and are similar in appearance and behavior— though the dugong's tail is fluked like a whale's.
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The dugong is a gray/brown marine mammal with a torpedo-shaped body. They are considerably more streamlined in appearance than their rather rotund relative, the manatee. Dugongs also differ from their manatee cousins in the shape of their tails.
