Dugong - Meet The Endangered
Dugong (Dugong dugon)
The majestic dugong is a marine mammal inhabiting Indo-Pacific seas. Together with its close cousins, the manatees, it forms the order Sirenia - a unique taxon more closely related to elephants than to other marine mammals like whales or dolphins.
Having few natural predators and feeding exclusively on seagrass, dugongs are extremely docile and gentle by nature. This docility makes them vulnerable to humans, who have hunted these ‘sea cows’ for thousands of years. Their long lifespans (up to 70 years) and slow reproductive cycles also contribute to their vulnerability.
It once had a sister species, Steller’s sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) that was found exclusively in the Bering Sea. But it was hunted to extinction by 1768, a mere 27 years after discovery by Europeans who prized its blubber, meat and hide. The Dugong’s minimal blubber and wide distribution likely spared it this fate.
Vessel strikes, habitat destruction and fishing-related fatalities remain threats. So does hunting, to a lesser extent, which is now prohibited in most places and confined to indigenous groups in countries like Australia.
IUCN: Vulnerable (VU)
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