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[30] [32] Unlike manatees, the dugong lacks nails on its flippers, which are only 15% of a dugong's body length. [33] Manatees generally glide at speeds of 8 kilometres per hour (5 mph), but can reach speeds of 24 kilometres per hour (15 mph) in short bursts. [34] The body is fusiform to reduce drag in the water.
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.
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, [12] a number that may be due to mutations in the homeotic genes. [13]
The West Indian manatee is the largest living member of the sirenians (order Sirenia), a group of large aquatic mammals that includes the dugong, other manatees, and the extinct Steller's sea cow. Manatees are herbivores , have developed vocal communication abilities, and are covered in highly sensitive whiskers (called vibrissae ) that are ...
A humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) A leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx). Marine mammals are mammals that rely on marine (saltwater) ecosystems for their existence. They include animals such as cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), pinnipeds (seals, sea lions and walruses), sirenians (manatees and dugongs), sea otters and polar bears.
FILE - Serena, a dugong, swims at the Toba Aquarium in Toba, Japan on Sept. 5, 2012. Populations of the vulnerable species of marine mammal, numerous species of abalone and a type of Caribbean ...
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.
The name derives from the original interpretation of it being an intermediate form between dugongs and manatees. [ 6 ] There are several genera that are now synonymous with Metaxytherium , including Thalattosiren , [ 4 ] Halianassa , Felsinoitherium , Cheirotherium and Hesperosiren . [ 5 ]