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Dugong

It’s no wonder the dugong and their close relative, the manatee, are called “sea cows” — they all are slow-moving, herbivorous marine mammals that spend their days grazing vegetation like seagrass!

 

While the closely related manatee frequents freshwater, the dugong is exclusively found along Indo-Pacific coastlines, roaming the warm waters in search of its next meal. It stays mostly in shallow waters, often near reefs, estuaries, inshore islands, shallow bays, and mangrove systems, grazing on seagrass. While similar in appearance to manatees with its thick, brownish-gray skin, whiskers, and paddle-like front flippers, the dugong’s fluke-like tail, similar to a dolphin’s, sets it apart from manatees and their paddle-like tails. Dugongs are also larger than some manatee species growing up to 4 meters (13 feet).  

These mammals are social animals and are usually found in groups ranging from just a mother and calf to up to 200 individuals! As dugongs have relatively poor vision, they predominantly use sound to communicate. Groups may travel long distances together if searching for food, but if one has found a seagrass bed that can support it, the animal may stay in the same area its whole life.

 

 

Dugongs face a variety of threats, such as being accidentally caught in fishing gear hunting, pollution, habitat loss, climate change, and boat strikes, leading to its status as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Human activities like dredging, pollution, and trawling are especially threatening to this species, as it directly impacts abundance of seagrass, their main food source.

 

 

Putting an end to destructive fishing practices, protecting marine habitats, and stopping marine pollution is necessary to protect the remaining dugongs. Oceana is working to protect threatened marine wildlife and safeguard vital ocean habitats globally by advancing the goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030. 

 

 

 

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