Marine Creature of the Month - Around the World!

 

Name: Dugong

Kingdom: Animalia

Class: Mammalia

Conservation Status:Vulnerable

Location: Indian Ocean! The can be found off the coast of 40 countries in the Indo-Pacific area as they depend on seagrass meadows. These waters are warm and tropical, and they tend to be found in large protected bays around 10m (33ft) deep. If seagrass grows there, then it is likely dugongs will be found in the area. They have been known to travel to depths of 37m (121ft) to find that tasty grass.

Size: Dugongs are classes as a medium sized marine mammal. They grow up to 3m (9.8ft) in length and would weigh about 420kg (926lbs) at this size.

Appearance: Dugongs look a little like aquatic tapirs. They are blubbery and similar in shape to dolphins with an extendable snout. (Hence tapir.) Their mouth is very flexible for all their grazing needs, their upper lip is horseshoe shaped to maximise on their foraging endeavours. Much like other marine mammals, they have flippers and use their tail in an up-down motion for propulsion. Their flippers are used for turning and slowing, though they do not travel particularly quickly!

They have thick, smooth skin which starts a light colour and progressively darkens as they age. They have short hair across their body which aid in their tactile interpretation of the environment. There is little sexual disparity between the genders, with the only real difference being the females are slightly larger. They have small eyes which limits their vision but they more than make up for it with their acute hearing.

Diet: You guessed, seagrass! Occasionally. they will eat the odd jellyfish but their diet is primarily herbivorous.

Predators: Despite being large and slow, the dugong have few predators. They only face threat from sharks, orcas, and saltwater crocodiles. Their biggest threat comes from humans and being over hunted. Throughout history we have used their skin, meat, oil, and bones. They are now illegal to hunt but they still fall victim to by catching. Additionally, seagrass ecosystems are fragile and are being ravaged by the effects of global warming. They are decreasing in size and are being polluted by sedimentation from surface run off, trawling, and dredging.

Reproductive Cycle: To identify when a male dugong has reached maturity, it develops tusks! This usually happens somewhere between eight and eighteen years of age. Females mature earlier, sometimes as young as six years of age. They will only give birth a few times in their lifetime, despite having such a long lifespan. 

How dugongs court varies between the local populations. Some males will establish a territory while others will actively try to impress females with aggressive displays. In other populations, the females will mate with several males to increase her chances of getting pregnant. Females gestate for 13 to 15 months. Calves are born 1.2m (4ft) long and nurse for up to 18 months, while also eating seagrasses.

Life Span: Between 50 and 70 years.

Fun Facts: 

• Its Latin name is Dugong dugon which just tickled me.
• The recorded numbers of dugong populations are believed to be inaccurate, with numbers actually being much lower than stated. 
• A dugong's brain weighs 300g which sounds impressive until you realise that is roughly 0.1% of its total mass!
• The bone structure of a dugong's flipper is eerily similar to that of a human hand. 
• The largest dugong ever recorded was just over 4m long and weighed 1,016kg!
• Dugong blood clots very quickly.
• Dugongs have unique shaped skulls, it is large with a own turned premaxilla.
• Dugongs are very similar to manatees but have some distinct differences. Largely, manatees don't have the extendable snout.
  

Which was your favourite fact about the dugong? Any suggestions for next month's location? Any suggestions for next month's poll? Lemme know, below!

Listening to: Classic Family Flicks