Photo: Geoff Spiby / www.geoffspiby.co.za · Image source ·CC BY-SA 3.0
Animal profile · Other aquatic life · marine mammal
Dugong
Dugong dugon
The dugong is a fully marine herbivorous mammal that grazes in shallow seagrass meadows. It is the only living member of its family and has a broad, fluked tail.
Not a fish · an aquatic neighborWater
Saltwater
Shallow warm coastal waters with seagrass beds, lagoons, and sheltered bays.
Temperature
Range not established
A dependable species-specific wild temperature range was not established from the reviewed sources.
Size
Adults commonly about 2.5–3 m (8–10 ft) long
About as long as a small boat.
Lifespan
About 70 years
Life expectancy varies with place, conditions, and what scientists have been able to observe.
01 · Signature adaptation
What does it do?
It is generally slow-moving and may travel alone, in pairs, or in larger feeding groups. Females produce a single calf at a time and depend on shallow protected habitat for nursing.
02 · Home coordinates
Where does it live?
Fragmented tropical coastal range from East Africa through the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia to northern Australia and the western Pacific.
Regions: East Africa · Indian Ocean · Southeast Asia · northern Australia · western Pacific
03 · The menu
What does it eat?
It grazes seagrass meadows and uproots plants while feeding along the bottom.
Herbivore: seagrasses, seagrass rhizomes, marine plants.
04 · Remember this
Two wow facts
Only marine herbivore
The dugong is the only strictly marine herbivorous mammal living today.
Sources [1]
Sea-cow family
It is the sole living species in the family Dugongidae.
Sources [1] [2]