dugong (Dugong dugon)
The Dugong (Dugong dugon) is a large marine mammal , sometimes refered to as a “Sea cow” , which are related to manatees, is one of four extant species of the order Sirenia. But do you know that both mammals are related to the elephant. Dugongs will grow to about 2.4 to 3 m and can weigh up to 231 to 499 kg. These mammals can stay underwater for six minutes before surfacing and at times breathe by “standing” on their tail with their heads above water.
The Dugong (sometimes refered to as a "Seacow")
Dugongs are exclusively bottom feeders; their diet consist mainly of sea-grass. Their primary feeding mechanism is uprooting sea-grass by digging furrows in the seafloor with their snouts. Dugongs graze on underwater grasses day and night, uprooting them by digging furrows in the seafloor with their snouts. These enormous vegetarians can be found in warm coastal waters from East Africa to Australia, including the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Pacific. Dugongs are highly migratory, which means Australia shares populations with other neighbouring countries. In Australia, Dugongs swim in the shallow coastal waters of northern Australia from the Queensland/New South Wales border in the east to Shark Bay on the Western Australian coast. They are also found in other parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans in warm shallow seas where seagrass is found.
Dugongs spend much of their time alone or in pairs, though they are sometimes seen gathered in large herds of a hundred animals. Female dugongs give birth to a single calf after about a 13-month gestation.
DUGONG - large marine mammal
A baby dugong swims close to her mother for about 18 months.Dugongs are an essential element of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s living maritime culture along the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. 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. Amazing.
embedded by Embedded Video
