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The dugong (/ ˈ d (j) uː ɡ ɒ ŋ /; Dugong dugon) is a 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.
Dugong skeleton displayed at Philippine National Museum. Dugongidae's body weight ranges from 217 to 307 kg for juveniles, 334 to 424 kg for subadults, and 435 to 568.5 kg for adults. Oral temperatures for individual dugongs is determined from 24° to 34.2 °C. Heart rate readings are from 40 to 96 bpm and vary between individual dugongs.
A dugong's brain weighs a maximum of 300 grams (11 ounces), about 0.1% of the animal's body weight. [33] The bodies of sirenians are sparsely covered in short hair ( vibrissae ), except that it becomes denser on the muzzle, which may allow for tactile interpretation of their environment. [ 45 ]
The manatee's tail is paddle-shaped, and is the clearest visible difference between manatees and dugongs; a dugong tail is fluked, similar in shape to that of a whale. The manatee is unusual among mammals in having just six cervical vertebrae , [ 11 ] a number that may be due to mutations in the homeotic genes . [ 12 ]
A fossil reveals how a now-extinct species of dugong was swimming in the sea about 15 million years ago when it was preyed upon by a crocodile and a tiger shark.
Ranges of body weight and size observed are 7.5–346 kg ... The maximum actual Amazonian manatee weight reported is 379 ... such as D. dugong at about 70° of ...
The heaviest land mammal is the African bush elephant, which has a weight of up to 10.1 t (11.1 short tons).It measures 10–13 ft at the shoulder and consumes around 230 kg (500 lb) of vegetation a day.
Dugongs. Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that live in rivers and marine wetlands. It includes four extant species, three manatees and the dugong, and the extinct Stellar's sea cow. Family: Dugongidae. Genus: Dugong. Dugong, D. dugon VU [3]