Dugong

Share Top Five January 24, 2019

The dugong is a medium-sized marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller’s sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas), was hunted to extinction in the 18th century. The dugong is the only strictly herbivorous marine mammal,More info:wiki

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#10 The Verge Review of Animals: the dugong,More info:theverge

This column is part of a series where Verge staffers post highly subjective reviews of animals. Previously, we’ve written about animals without telling you whether they suck or rule. We are now rectifying this oversight.

If you want to make a child understand the basic concept of evolution, show her a video of a dugong. If she doesn’t run away crying within five seconds — there is something inexplicably alarming about the dugong at first glance — she’ll immediately start to recognize elements of her other favorite animals in the buoyant, bizarre, yet undeniably adorable physiology. He’s got the build of a manatee, and the incredible active snout of an elephant. And most of the time he can be found chomping up sea grass in an immediately familiar manner to any grazing beast you might encounter in the drier parts of our planet.

#9 Manatee & Dugong – The Differences,More info:Gilles Delhaye

#8 The Dugong – The cute balls need saving!,More info:imgur

The dugong (Dugong dugon) is one of the smaller marine mammals that roam the seas. Dugongs are dun or grey in colour, are generally around 2.4 ‒ 2.7 metres in length, and have large, rotund bodies. Their skin appears to be smooth, although it’s actually rough, and covered in pits from which thick, short hairs sprout. The dugong’s snout is sharply downturned and covered in bristles ‒ an adaptation for grazing and uprooting seagrasses. The tail is broad and spade-like. They are slow-moving creatures, generally swimming at around 9 kmph, although they can double this speed when threatened. A dugong can stay submerged for 6 ‒ 10 minutes, and their young can sometimes be seen riding on their mothers’ backs. Their slow metabolic rates makes it difficult for them to tolerate low water temperatures as well as sudden changes in the weather. A dugong’s favourite food is sea grass, which they graze upon by day as well as by night.

#7 Dugongs of the Great Barrier Reef,More info:greatbarrierreefs

Dugongs are the only strictly herbivorous mammal in Australia, and are found throughout the Indo-Pacific region. In Australia, they are found across the tropical belt, feeding on shallow seagrasses (approximately 40kg per day). They reach a length of 3m, and can weigh as much as 400kg. They resemble a large dolphin, but lack a dorsal fin, and have an upper lip covered in thick bristles. Early sailors are believed to have confused dugongs for mythical mermaids, indicating that those men had been at sea for too long, as the dugong has a face only a mother could love!

Dugongs share a common ancestor with elephants, and are most closely related to the manatee, their northern hemisphere relative. They are well designed for aquatic life, with nostrils situated on top of their heads (so they can breathe), and have a large, strong tail that propels them through the water. Their eyes and ears are on the side of their heads. Although their eyesight is poor, they have an acute sense of hearing.

They have few predators, besides sharks, crocodiles and man. Dugongs were hunted to the edge of extinction in the early part of last century by Europeans for food and oil. These days, dugongs are under pressure from other activities, such as loss of habitat, boat traffic and being caught in fishing nets.

#6 Dugong ,More info:australianmuseum

#5 Dugong ,More info: wwf

With its voluptuous body, fluked tail and shy temperament, it’s easy to imagine the dugong inspiring the mermaid legend. This gentle mammal’s body is beautifully streamlined for marine life and it glides effortlessly through seagrass meadows, but is just as elusive.

Poor eyesight means the dugong is reliant on sensitive bristles along its pig-like snout to locate the grasses on which it dines, and it can dive for up to 10 minutes at a time while grazing. Although generally travelling at a leisurely rate of 10 kilometres per hour, the dugong can accelerate to 22 kilometres per hour in short bursts.

The dugong’s hearing is acute and, even without vocal chords, it can produce squeaks and pips to communicate with its young. Offspring may remain with their mothers for up to two years and individuals are sometimes found in loosely structured groups of up to a dozen or so animals.

The vast seagrass plains of the northern Great Barrier Reef are home to one of the largest populations of dugongs in the world. But even here, commercial gill nets that drape like curtains pose a threat of drowning.

#4 Opinion: Loss of Seagrass Meadows Threatens their Dugong Denizens,More info: cms

Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi is the Minister of Climate Change and Environmentof the United Arab Emirates and Dr. Bradnee Chambers is the Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

BONN – The on-going bleaching of coral in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef continues to generate great concern worldwide. Islands of plastic waste in the oceans contaminating the food chain make the headlines. So why then is there a deafening silence on the deteriorating condition of the world’s seagrasses?

Do seagrasses matter? Yes. They provide shelter and food for many species and also play an important role in creating and maintaining their environment. Seagrass meadows slow currents, trap sediments and stabilize the seabed. These are all vital for the survival of numerous species that make their homes there, including hundreds of commercially valuable fishes, crustaceans and other invertebrates that feed millions of people worldwide and provide livelihoods and wellbeing. Seagrass is also very effective in capturing and storing carbon, an important role in mitigating the effects of climate change.

Yet, seagrasses have undergone a considerable decline in the last few decades as a result of eutrophication (the excess of nutrients often from agricultural run-off of which reduces the oxygen content of water), and from the destruction of seabed habitat by coastal developments such as dredging and port installations. Other stresses come from discharges of industrial pollution, and domestic sewage and from commercial fisheries.