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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.
Dugongs generally gather in groups of less than a dozen individuals for one to two days. Since they congregate in turbid waters, little is known about their reproductive behavior. The males are often seen with scars, and the tusks on dugongs grow in first for males, suggesting they are important in lekking.
Dugong hunting has been practised in Wide Bay–Burnett in Queensland since at least 1861. Commercial netting began in 1924. Commercial netting began in 1924. The dugong was a prized source of oil, hide, and meat, and charcoal from their bones was used in sugar refining. [ 3 ]
Ecology and Conservation of the Sirenia: Dugongs and Manatees. Conservation Biology. Vol. 18. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 35–77. ISBN 978-0-521-71643-7. Appendices; Velez-Juarbe J, Domning DP, Pyenson ND (2012). "Iterative Evolution of Sympatric Seacow (Dugongidae, Sirenia) Assemblages during the Past ~26 Million Years". PLOS ONE.
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.
Steller's sea cow is a member of the family Dugongidae, the sole surviving member of which, and thus Steller's sea cow's closest living relative, is the dugong (Dugong dugon). [ 30 ] Steller's sea cow was a direct descendant of the Cuesta sea cow ( H. cuestae ), [ 6 ] an extinct tropical sea cow that lived off the coast of western North America ...
Dugongs. Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands. All four species are endangered. Family: Dugongidae. Genus: Dugong. Dugong, Dugong dugon VU