AnimaLPHABET - [D]ugong

Day #4

For today we have a Dugong (Dugong dugon). Dugong, also known as "sea cow" looks almost like a part human - part animal creature and believed to have been around 50 to 60 million years ago, probably one of the reasons why scientist believe that Dugongs could have sparked the tales about mermaids, because think about it an all male crew in the ocean for months alone and drunk could've easily mistaken a Dugong for a foxy girl with a tail. These large creatures can grow up to 11 ft and weigh up to 2000 pounds, they also have very dense bones which keeps them submerged underwater. Just like Dolphins, Sea Lions, and Whales, Dugongs are marine mammals which need to breathe atmospheric oxygen.

The Life Cycle
Being a mammal like a Cheetah, A Dugong gives birth to live young

In humans, a baby will have a special bond with his mother. This is the same with Dugongs, a mother will carry her baby for 12 -14 months and give life to a baby which then stays with her for a sometime, sometimes even up to sexual maturity. It takes around 6 years before a Dugong is considered as sexually mature, male Dugongs sometimes take around 12 yrs before it can breed. A female Dugong only gives birth once in every couple of years.

So basically the life cycle of a Dugong is Fetus > Baby > Young Adult > Mature.

The Diet
You probably might have wondered why Dugongs are called "sea cows" right? Well it's because of their diet. Dugongs are the only marine mammal to be completely herbivores, that's right! they only eat plants, Sea Grass to be specific and boy do they eat a lot,sometimes up to 88 pounds!

The Home

Dugongs are mostly seen on warm coastal waters of the Philippines, Red Sea, Japan, East Africa and Australia. Unfortunately though due to low reproduction, the high amounts of hunting and settlement of people Dugongs have been placed under government protection because their population has since only depleted.

The Facts

1. Before swallowing sea grass, Dugongs shake their head to remove sand.
2. Dugongs can either live alone, in pairs or in large groups.
3. Male Dugongs develop tusks between the age of 12 to 15.
4. Main predators of Dugongs are Killer whales, sharks and crocodiles, but the biggest threat to their existence are human activities.

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: The facts about the creature featured were not my original works but rather a compilation and simplification of said facts from different articles read on the internet. Cited below are the sources that I used.

Sources:
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