The Dugong is a marine animal that is a close relative of manatees, which is the only remaining member of the Dugongidae family. This marine animal spends its time grazing on seagrass in shallow coastal water. As you can see in the marine image of the marine animal, it has a long, cylindrical body and no dorsal fins. Other than their body structure, there are many more interesting facts about dugong.
Dugong Species: There are 4 species in the dugong family. Out of the 4, 3 are manatees and 1 is dugong: Dugong dungon. As you can see in the marine image, these marine animals are massive 7-10 meters in length and about 4,500-5,900 kilograms.
Appearance: These mammals are often referred to as “sea cows” as they have heavy and bulky bodies. You can see in the marine image of these dugongs that they are of greyish brown color and range in length from 2.4 to 4 meters. They have short, paddle-like front flipper fins and a straight tail.
Behavior: Dugongs are semi-nomadic marine animals. Some of them will migrate to far-away areas, while others will remain at the same place. They are shy in nature and don’t like getting disturbed.
Feeding: As the marine image attached shows they are traveling and grazing on the sea-grass, these marine animals are completely herbivorous. They use their upper lip to uproot the entire seagrass plant rather than eating only the leaves of the plant.
Mating and Reproduction: Dugong mating is not seasonal like other animals. It occurs around the year. Male dugongs will be following one female dugong forming a mating train, attempting to mate with her.
Life Cycle and Span: The dugong can live up to the age of 70 years in the wild and their age can be counted by the growing layers that make up their tusks.
