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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.
Unlike those of manatees, the dugong's teeth do not continually grow back via horizontal tooth replacement. [38] The dugong has two tusks which emerge in males during puberty, and sometime later in life for females after reaching the base of the premaxilla. [33] The number of growth layer groups in a tusk indicates the age of a dugong. [39]
Prior to the banning of the trade in 1965, dugong oil was a popular Australian product. Brisbane chemists bought it in large quantities and it was also used in the production of cosmetics. Dugong bone, when turned into charcoal, was said to be the best charcoal for sugar refining. A ban on hunting dugongs in Moreton Bay was enacted on 20 March ...
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.
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.
Here, 25 of the best classic winter books to read by the fire this winter: ... During the first snowfall of the season, they make a child out of snow—the next morning, their creation is gone ...
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]
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