Kingdom : Animalia Class : Mammalia Family : Dugongidae Scientific Name : Dogong Dogon Size(L) : 2.7m - 3m (8.9ft - 9.8ft) Weight : 150kg - 400kg (330lbs - 880lbs) Top Speed : 22km/h (13mph) Life Span : 50 - 70 years Colour : Brown, Grey Skin Type : Leather Distinctive Features : Large body size and forked tail
- Dugongs are large marine mammals inhabiting the warm waters surrounding Indonesia and Australia.
- Their population is concentrated around northern Australia.
- They are very closely related to manatee.
- Though they look very similar to manatee, they are two different species.
- They differ from manatees in having a forked tail like that of shark and in being smaller than them.
- They grow to an average size of around 3m in length and weigh around 400kg.
- They are referred as the cows of the sea because of their strictly herbivorous diet.
- Dugongs feed on sea grasses and aquatic plants that abundantly grow in tropical shallows.
- They are known to leave a trail of bare sand and uprooted sea grass behind them.
- The female dugongs gives birth to a single calf only once in five years.
- The dugongs calves are born underwater and are capable of swimming immediately on birth.
- The calves stay with their mother for the first two years of their lives.
- Their average lifespan is between 50-70 years.
- Interestingly, the legends of mermaid are thought to have originated from the ancient sailors’ spotting of dugongs.
- It is believed that the sailors mistook dugongs and manatees for being half-human and half fish.
- They are a threatened species today and their numbers are declining through commercial fishing accidents.