Dugongs
| Dugong | |
|---|---|
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| A dugong in Marsa Alam | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Sirenia |
| Family: | Dugongidae |
| Subfamily: |
Dugonginae Simpson, 1932 |
| Genus: |
Dugong Lacépède, 1799 |
| Species: | D. dugon |
| Binomial name | |
|
Dugong dugon (Müller, 1776) |
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| Dugong range | |
| External identifiers for Dugong | |
|---|---|
| Encyclopedia of Life | 328641 |
| NCBI | 29137 |
| Also found in: | |
The dugong (/ˈduːɡɒŋ/, /ˈdjuːɡɒŋ/; Dugong dugon) is a medium-sized marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. 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. The dugong is the only strictly marine herbivorous mammal.
The dugong is the only sirenian in its range, which spans the waters of some 40 countries and territories throughout the Indo-West Pacific. The dugong is largely dependent on seagrass communities for subsistence and is thus restricted to the coastal habitats which support seagrass meadows, with the largest dugong concentrations typically occurring in wide, shallow, protected areas such as bays, mangrove channels, the waters of large inshore islands and inter-reefal waters. The northern waters of Australia between Shark Bay and Moreton Bay are believed to be the dugong's contemporary stronghold.
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