The Dugong
"Dugong Dugon" - Scientific Name
General Facts
The Dugong is an enormous vegetarian mammal that is commonly found in the warmer coastal waters between East Africa and Australia, this includes The Red Sea, Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The Dugong is related to the manatee and they have a similar appearance and behavior because of this. Both the Manatee and Dugong are related to the Elephant however unlike the elephant these creatures reside in water. The Dugong graze the bottom of the ocean in search for underwater grasses, they use the bristles on their face to help find them. They have an average breath of 6 minutes and commonly surface and breathe by 'standing' on their tails. The Dugong is mainly a solitary animal only spending time in pairs or alone.
Dugong Images
Young Dugong
A young Dugong found swimmer near Fraser Island.
Feeding Dugong
A Dugong searching the base of the ocean for vegetation.
Baby Dugong And Mother
A young baby Dugong swimming alongside its older mother in shallow water.
What Is Their Status And How Can I Help?
The Dugong currently has a state, supplied by IUCN, of endangered meaning that the species has a 20% of extinction within the next 20 years or 5 generations. They have a classification of endangered due to the following factors:
Their are many projects that are being run to help the Dugong such as the WWF's marine programs. The best way to help them is to donate money via the 'Adopt an Animal' or other such programs so that these organizations can continue to operate and help these creatures.
- The species is long-lived and slow to mature meaning that population growth is very slow, best conditions show population can only increase by 5% in a year.
- Coastal development reduces the Dugons habitat size causing females to produce less young.
- Incidental capture in fishing gear.
- Boat strikes.
- Ingestion and entanglement of marine debris, such as from the great garbage patches.
- Illegal hunting for rare commodities.
- Poor water quality from run-off pipes.
- Loss of food due to large scale flood events, tsunamis etc.
Their are many projects that are being run to help the Dugong such as the WWF's marine programs. The best way to help them is to donate money via the 'Adopt an Animal' or other such programs so that these organizations can continue to operate and help these creatures.