Search results
pixels.com
- These languid animals make an easy target for coastal hunters, and they were long sought for their meat, oil, skin, bones, and teeth. Dugongs are now legally protected throughout their range, but their populations are still in a tenuous state. Some believe that dugongs were the inspiration for ancient seafaring tales of mermaids and sirens.
www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/dugong
Dugongs are large marine mammals often called sea cows due to their herbivorous diet and slow, gentle nature. They are related to both manatees and—surprisingly—elephants. They live in warm coastal waters from East Africa to Australia, grazing on underwater grasses as their main food source.
- About Dugongs
- Threats to Dugongs
- References
Australia is home to the world’s largest dugong population with more than 100,000 thought to live in the Torres Strait.Dugongs diet consists almost entirely of seagrass.Dugongs can live for around 70 years, but they are slow to mature, with females reaching breeding age at around 10 years.Females only give birth to a single calf every 3-7 years. The calf will stay with its mother for two years.While some of Australia’s dugong populations are healthy, others, such as on the Southern Great Barrier Reef, are in decline. Commercial gillnet fishing is a major threat to dugongs in Queensland. Dugongs are air breathing marine mammals, and are easily entangled in fishing nets and drown. Some areas along the eastern Queensland coastline are close...
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (2021) ‘Dugong’ Available at https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=28Queensland Government (2021) ‘Nature Conservation Act 1992’ Available at https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1992-020Marsh H, Sobtzick S (2019) Dugong Dugon. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T6909A160756767.en.Department of Agriculture Water and the Environment (n.d.) ‘Dugongs’ Available at https://www.environment.gov.au/marine/marine-species/dugongsAug 22, 2022 · This makes Australia the largest and globally most important refuge for dugongs. The sensitive ecological status of these animals globally highlights the need for effective management strategies to protect and conserve the Australian population.
Aug 25, 2021 · August 25, 2021. A close relative of the manatee found in the Indo-Pacific, dugongs are a hit for tourists and an important part of coastal marine ecosystems. But between climate change,...
The Dugong is found over a broad range of the coastal and inland waters of the western Indo-Pacific region. In Australia, they occur in an arc from Moreton Bay in southern Queensland across northern Australia to Shark Bay in northern Western Australia.
Dugongs are culturally significant to many coastal First Nation communities. The dugong’s distribution stretches across the Indo-Pacific region. Within Australia, it is found from Moreton Bay on the Queensland coast across northern Australia to Shark Bay in Western Australia.
People also ask
Where do dugongs live in Australia?
Are dugongs protected in Australia?
Why are dugong important?
Are dugongs marine animals?
Why have dugong populations declined around the world?
Why are dugongs important to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders?
In Australia, dugongs are protected under the Australian Government's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999 (EPBC Act), which lists them as marine and migratory species, and various State and Northern Territory legislation.
