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- Females give birth to just one calf after a year-long pregnancy. Her young will remain close to her for up to 18 months. Because of their long life span (70 years) and slow reproduction rates, dugong populations are vulnerable despite legal protection.
biologydictionary.net/dugong/
Despite being legally protected in many countries, the main causes of population decline remain anthropogenic and include fishing-related fatalities, habitat degradation, and hunting. With its long lifespan of 70 years or more and slow rate of reproduction, the dugong is especially vulnerable to extinction.
The reproductive rate of dugongs is very low, and they only produce one calf every 2.5 to 7 years depending on location. This may be due to the long gestation period, which is between 13 and 14 months.
6 days ago · Habitat deterioration, loss of seagrass, accidental entanglement in fishing nets, and collisions with boats also have negative effects on populations, as the low reproductive rates of dugongs cannot compensate for their rates of mortality.
Nov 10, 2009 · The dugong's breeding season occurs throughout the year, although dugongs will delay breeding if they do not get enough to eat. Once a female becomes pregnant, her gestation period is about 1 year. After that time, she usually gives birth to one calf, which is 3 to 4 feet long.
Jan 1, 2018 · Dugongs are long lived with a low reproductive rate, long generation time, and a high investment in each offspring (Marsh et al., 2011). The oldest dugong whose tusks have been examined for age determination was estimated to be 73 years old at death.
- Helene Marsh
- 2009
Criteria for Determining Reproductive Status The criteria used for classifying the 59 male and 49 female dugongs studied according to their reproductive maturity are outlined in Table 1.
Jan 1, 1984 · Dugongs of both sexes less than 2.2 m long are likely to be immature, those over 2.5 m long are probably mature, and the status of animals between 2.2 and 2.5 m long is uncertain. The...
