Dugong

Dugong

 source : https://www.npmjs.com/package/dugong

B A S I C  I N F O R M A T I O N

COMMON NAME: Dugong

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Dugong dugon

TYPE: Mammals

DIET: Herbivores

GROUP NAME: Herd

AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN THE WILD: 70 years

SIZE: 8 to 10 ft

WEIGHT: 510 to 1,100 lbs

SIZE RELATIVE TO A 6-FT MAN:

IUCN RED LIST STATUS: 

Vulnerable

LC

NT

VU

EN

CR

EW

EX

LEAST CONCERNEXTINCT

CURRENT POPULATION TREND: Decreasing 

source : http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/d/dugong/

A B O U T  D U G O N G

       Dugong is a medium-size marine mammal, one of four living species in order of Sirenia, which also includes 3 species of Manatees.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 related to manatees and are similar in appearance and behavior— though the dugong's tail is fluked like a whale's. Both are related to the elephant, although the giant land animal is not at all similar in appearance or behavior.

    Like all modern sirenians, the dugong has a fusiform body with no dorsal fin or hind limbs. The forelimbs or flippers are paddle-like. The dugong is easily distinguished from the manatees by its fluked, dolphin-like tail, but also possesses a unique skull and teeth. Its snout is sharply downturned, an adaptation for feeding in benthic seagrass communities. The molar teeth are simple and peg-like unlike the more elaborate molar dentition of manatees.

       The dugong has been hunted for thousands of years for its meat and oil. Traditional hunting still has great cultural significance in several countries in its modern range, particularly northern Australia and the Pacific Islands. The dugong's current distribution is fragmented, and many populations are believed to be close to extinction. 

U N D E R W A T E R  B E H A V I O U R

          Dugongs graze on underwater grasses day and night, rooting for them with their bristled, sensitive snouts and chomping them with their rough lips.These mammals can stay underwater for six minutes before surfacing. They sometimes breathe by “standing” on their tail with their heads above water. Dugongs spend much of their time alone or in pairs, though they are sometimes seen gathered in large herds of a hundred animals.

F E E D I N G

   Dugongs, along with other sirenians, are referred to as "sea cows" because their diet consists mainly of sea grass. When eating they ingest the whole plant, including the roots, although when this is impossible they will fee on just the leaves. a wide variety of seagrass has been found in dugong stomach contents, and evidence exists they will eat algae when the seagrass us scarce.

R E P R O D U C T I O N  A N D  C O N S E R V A T I O N

    Female dugongs have one calf after a yearlong pregnancy, and the mother helps her young reach the surface and take its first breath. A young dugong remains close to its mother for about 18 months, sometimes catching a ride on her broad back.

    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.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN :

D U G O N G  A N D  M A N A T E E