Dugong
Dugong dugon
Summary 3
The dugong (Dugong dugon) is a large marine mammal which, together with the manatees, is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas), was hunted to extinction in the 18th century. It is also the only sirenian in its range, which spans the waters of at least 37 countries throughout the Indo-Pacific, though the majority...
Description 4
The dugong is the only living marine mammal to feed almost exclusively on plants (3), a trait that leads to its other common name of 'sea cow'. These large, rotund animals have short front flippers and a fluke-like tail that is used for propulsion (4). The thick skin is a grey-bronze colour and there are short, coarse hairs sparsely distributed over the body but concentrated as bristles on the muzzle (3). All dugongs grow tusks but these only break the skin, and therefore become visible, in mature males and old females (3). The large, rounded snout ends in a cleft, muscular upper lip that hangs over the down-turned mouth (4).
Habitat 5
Unlike their mostly freshwater cousins, manatees, dugongs are primarily marine mammals. Dugongs generally inhabit shallow waters, remaining at depths of around 10 m, although they occasionally dive to depths of 39 m to feed. These shallow areas are typically located in protected bays, wide mangrove channels and in sheltered areas of inshore islands. Seagrass beds consisting of phanerogamous seagrasses, their primary source of nourishment, coincide with these optimal habitats. Dugongs, however, are also observed in deeper water where the continental shelf is broad, neritic and sheltered. Dugongs use different habitats for different activities. For example, tidal sandbanks and estuaries that are quite shallow, are potential areas suitable for calving. Another example of specialized habitats are lekking areas, which are only used during mating season.
In a study off the coast of Australia, near Darwin, a pair of dugongs was captured in and tracked frequenting rocky reef habitats. Aerial surveys also showed that most dugongs in that region were found associated with a rocky reef. Because habitats of this kind have relatively low spatial coverage, dugongs actively select them. However, it is not known why dugongs frequently seem to forage in these areas, as there is no seagrasses on these reefs and they are not known algae consumers.
Range depth: 0 to 39 m.
Average depth: 10 m.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; saltwater or marine
Aquatic Biomes: coastal
Other Habitat Features: estuarine
Fuentes y créditos
- (c) Joel Abroad, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/40295335@N00/4841344762
- (c) Hug Cirici, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/54187969@N00/2159190948
- Adaptado por Brian Martin del trabajo de (c) Wikipedia, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dugong_dugon
- (c) Wildscreen, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/2606585
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/18645611
