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Dugong

Mammals

The dugong is a large marine mammal found in warm coastal waters from East Africa across the Indian Ocean to northern Australia and the western Pacific, the only strictly marine herbivorous mammal and a close relative of the manatees, though it is distinguished by a fluked, dolphin-like tail rather than a paddle-shaped one. It feeds almost exclusively on seagrass, often leaving distinctive feeding trails on the seabed as it grazes, and its dependence on seagrass meadows makes it especially vulnerable to habitat degradation from coastal development and water pollution. Dugongs are generally slow-reproducing, long-lived animals, and hunting, entanglement in fishing gear and habitat loss have caused population declines across much of its range, leading to its classification as vulnerable.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Herbivore 2
System (Realm)
Marine 2
Relationship to People
Hunted or Fished 2
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
Derived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status (w-bfill-g5-0924 browse backfill).
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
Distinguished from manatees by a fluked, dolphin-like tail, plus a distinctive skull and teeth. 1
Scientific Name
Dugong dugon 1
Conservation Status
Vulnerable 1
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Sirenia, Taxa
Source Catalogue of Life

In Biome

Seagrass Meadow, Biomes
Source Dugong (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Australia, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Comoros, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Eritrea, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Kenya, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Madagascar, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Mozambique, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Taiwan, found in there.
  • Also in Geography Atlas: Tanzania, found in there.
Sources
1. Dugong (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section, opening sentence
    The dugong (; Dugong dugon) is a marine mammal.
  • Relationship with humans, Conservation section, IUCN sentence
    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.
  • Description section, tail/skull sentence
    The dugong is easily distinguishable from the manatees by its fluked, dolphin-like tail; it also possesses a unique skull and teeth.
  • In Biome: Seagrass Meadow, Wikipedia intro: "on seagrass communities for subsistence and is thus restricted to the coastal habitats that support seagrass meadows, with the largest dugong concentrations typ..."
View the Source
2. Wikipedia: Dugong
  • system (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
    The dugong (; Dugong dugon) is a marine mammal.
  • Lead section
    The dugong has been hunted for thousands of years for its meat and oil
  • system (entity description states it plainly, diet)
    The dugong is a large marine mammal found in warm coastal waters from East Africa across the Indian Ocean to northern Australia and the western Pacific, the only strictly marine herbivorous mammal and a close relative of the manatees, though it is distinguished by a fluked, dolphin-like tail rather than a paddle-shaped one.
View the Source
Wikidata: Dugong
Wikidata Q129544, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Dugong (Wikidata)
WikidataStatements section, habitat (P2974): Marine
Quote, Statements section, habitat (P2974): Marine
Wikidata habitat statement (P2974) resolves to a marine habitat type.
View the Source
Catalogue of Life
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeChild Taxon Of: SireniaView the Source
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