Table of Contents
Are dugongs mammals or fish?
And unlike manatees, which use freshwater areas, the dugong is strictly a marine mammal. Commonly known as “sea cows,” dugongs graze peacefully on sea grasses in shallow coastal waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
What is the classification of a dugong?
Dugong dugon
Dugong/Scientific names
Do dugongs drink?
Found in warm shallow waters, dugongs need a source of fresh water for drinking and are often found near mangroves, protected bays and inshore islands.
What are dugongs?
The dugong is a species of sea cow found throughout the warm latitudes of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. The dugong, like all sea cows, is herbivorous. It primarily grazes on sea grasses and therefore spends most of its time in sea grass beds.
Can you eat dugong?
The dugong was a prized source of oil, hide, and meat, and charcoal from their bones was used in sugar refining. The practice was banned in 1965, apart from a limited catch by Indigenous Australians, who used dugongs as a food source since before the arrival of European settlers.
What’s a group of dugongs called?
Group Name: Herd. Average Life Span In The Wild: 70 years. Size: 8 to 10 feet. Weight: 510 to 1,100 pounds.
How do you pronounce dugong?
Break ‘dugong’ down into sounds: [DOO] + [GONG] – say it out loud and exaggerate the sounds until you can consistently produce them.
What is a group of dugongs called?
Are dugongs smart?
Our team at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium think dugongs are unique and incredibly intelligent creatures. The dugong is one of four species of the order Sirenia, a group of marine mammals are strictly herbivorous meaning they eat only plants.
Do aboriginals eat dugong?
The traditional or subsistence hunting of dugongs and turtles plays an important social and cultural role for coastal aborigines in many parts of northern Australia and the meat provides a source of protein for these communities.
Are dugongs healthy?
The researchers found that people who eat more dugong and turtle have more cadmium in their urine and also worse albuminuria, a marker of kidney damage in which high levels of the protein albumin are excreted in the urine.
Where is a dugongs eye?
They have a rounded head with small eyes and a large snout. The nostrils are at the top of the snout and can be closed diving to keep the water out. As with all other marine mammals, dugongs must surface to breathe….Life in the sea.
| Dugong facts | |
|---|---|
| Lactaction length | 14-18 months |
| Time between breeding | 3-7 years |
Are dugongs dangerous?
Luckily dugongs normally live in areas with very low boat traffic. In some places, with heavy traffic, they chose to move to a quieter area. The only dangerous areas are in Australia, near towns with many recreational boats. There, every year, some dugongs get injured and few of them even killed.
How big do dugongs get?
Dugongs can be as big as 10 feet (3 meters) long and can weigh a whopping 1000 pounds (499 kilograms)! Baby Dugongs can be up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) long and weight up to 66 pounds (30 kilograms).
Is the Dugong endangered?
The dugong is considered endangered and is a protected species in many countries. Man has not merely hunted the dugong, but has also destroyed its habitat. Scientists are looking for ways to help the dugong survive, with little success in the short-term, unfortunately.
Is dugong extinct?
The dugong’s current distribution is fragmented, and many populations are believed to be close to extinction. The IUCN lists the dugong as a species vulnerable to extinction, while the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species limits or bans the trade of derived products.