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[6] [7] [8] The name was first adopted and popularized by the French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, as "dugon" in Histoire Naturelle (1765), after descriptions of the animal from the island of Leyte in the Philippines. [6] [8] [9] The name ultimately derives from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *duyuŋ.
Aug 2, 2022 · Why would a 400kg marine mammal with a face that only another dugong might love be considered as the origin of myths about mermaids and sirens?
- 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!
Jul 21, 2018 · In the pacific island nation of Palau, where a 3,000-year-old cave drawing of dugongs was found, legends of young women transforming into sea creatures have been passed down over the years; the word dugong, in fact, derives from Malay for ‘lady of the sea’.
Apr 5, 2024 · The dugong, along with the manatee, is believed to be the inspiration for ancient seafaring tales of mermaids and sirens, their faces having been spied by explorers when they rose to the surface for a breath of air.
Mar 1, 2017 · Dugong is a Malay word meaning “lady of the sea”; they belong to the order Sirenia, which also includes manatees. The word manatee comes from Latin manatus, which means “having hands”. They are collectively called sea-cows as they feed primary from sea-grass grazed on the bottom of the sea.
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As such, mermaids have been spoken about since humanity learned how to write. But how and when did their stories and the possibility of their existence spring up? Where did they originate? Did they come from sailors’ tales of sightings, or were they known even before that? Are they manatees, dugongs, or something more? Only one way to find out.
